The Color of Sakura Petals
by InYourNightmares
Summary: They promised they would be together once they achieved their dreams. Sousuke/OFC
1. Chapter 1

**A/N – Because Sousuke doesn't get much love. And I think he's the hottest of them all. I'm nuts about pretty much all the Free! Guys though, so if you have any requests or ideas, do let me know!**

 **Also, I totally picture Kaori to look like the girl from Kyoukai no Kanata (Beyond the Boundary) because I don't like the show but she's freaking adorable.**

 **Chapter 1**

"Kaori! There's a call for you on the landline!"

Kaori reluctantly closed her book and set it on her desk before standing up. She frowned, pushing her thick-rimmed glasses further up her nose. Why would somebody call her on the landline? She'd had a cell-phone ever since she entered high school. Nobody used the landline number in their house anyway. Kaori sighed. She hoped it wasn't their grandmother. Obaasan had a tendency to go on talking for hours and Kaori had a test in cram school to prepare for.

"Who is it?" Kaori called out to her mother, padding down the stairs and noticing that her mother had left the phone lying off the hook and disappeared into the kitchen. She'd probably forgotten something on the stove. Kaori sighed, sitting on the floor and crossing her legs before reaching for the ancient landline that still hung by a cord. "Moshi moshi. This is Kaori."

There was a moment during which Kaori could hear nothing but faint breathing over the line. Then a voice spoke, calm and deep. "Kaori. It's Sousuke."

Kaori froze, and almost dropped the thick receiver. Her heartbeat stopped as she registered the smooth, familiar voice. It sent a wave of sickening nostalgia through her, and for a moment, she couldn't even speak. Her hands trembled as she used both hands to clutch the phone to her ear. "S-sousuke-kun?"

The voice on the other side of the line was hesitant. "Is this a bad time? You must be studying."

"N-no!" Kaori said quickly. She clutched the telephone receiver tightly, almost as though he would hang up on her if she let go of it. She closed her eyes, trying to calm her racing heartbeat down. "No, it's not a bad time. H-how are you? We haven't spoken in over a year."

"I'm all right. I guess we've both just been busy."

"Yeah," Kaori agreed breathlessly. There was a pause, and neither of them knew what to say. It had been so long. There was so much Kaori wanted to say to him, and yet in that moment, she couldn't frame a single coherent sentence. She took a deep breath. It was safe to start with small talk, right? Ask him about his life? "How has your training been-"

"I'm coming back home."

Kaori couldn't hold in the small gasp that escaped her throat. She fumbled with the receiver again, trying not to drop it while attempting to control her shock. "H-home?" was all she could choke out. She bit her lip, trying to keep her voice calm. Could he tell through the phone how much this was affecting her? "What do you mean, home?" she asked slowly.

There was a slight chuckle, which made Kaori's heart race. She closed her eyes, enjoying the deep voice that she hadn't heard in so long. She'd missed it, and she felt her throat close up as she remembered how that chuckle could make her day. "I mean, home. I'm transferring to Samezuka. I'll finish my third year there."

Kaori frowned. " _Samezuka?_ But what about your school in Tokyo? Didn't you go there just because Samezuka's swimming team wasn't good enough? Why would you hurt your career prospects by coming here halfway through your high school?"

Sousuke was quiet for a moment. "Jeez, Kaori-chan, it almost sounds like you don't want me to come back."

"That's not what I meant at all," Kaori replied heatedly. Tears stung her eyes suddenly. How could he say something like that, after everything they'd been through together? Didn't he know how much her heart had been broken when he'd left? "But you shouldn't come here if it'll hurt your prospects."

"You don't need to worry about that," Sousuke replied. "My future is pretty much fixed, now."

"You've been scouted," Kaori realized, her eyes widening. She sat up suddenly, clutching the phone so tightly that she was surprised it didn't crumble in her hands. She felt a tear roll down her cheek rapidly. "Is it true? Have you been scouted? You've accepted the offer, is it a good one? Is it what you dreamed?"

"Yeah. I guess I was lucky," he said softly.

Kaori shook her head quickly. "Don't say that. Don't pass off your hard work as luck, Sousuke. We both know how much you strived for this, you can take all the credit for your efforts. Don't ever let someone tell you that it was luck. It's _your_ doing."

"You're right. It's my own doing," Sousuke replied quietly. Kaori could hear him take a deep, shaky breath over the phone before he spoke again. "Anyway, I thought I'd come back and spend my last year at home, maybe relax a little."

"Have you called Rin-kun?"

Sousuke paused. "No. I haven't spoken to him in a long time. We used to write, but…"

"I don't see him much either," Kaori admitted with a frown. She had met the dark-red haired swimmer a few times after he came back from Australia, but they hadn't talked much. It hadn't felt the same; it had always been Sousuke who connected them and without him, their friendship seemed hollow. Besides, Rin had changed, and so had Kaori. "I don't have his number. But I can send a message through his sister, if you want-"

"Don't," Sousuke replied quickly. "I want to surprise him."

Kaori giggled. It was a small, light sound and she realized suddenly that it had been a long time since she'd made it. She closed her mouth quickly, her face turning red, embarrassed that Sousuke had heard her girly outburst. He was the only one who could bring out that side of her. "He'll be glad to see you," she said to cover it up.

"I hope so," Sousuke replied. There was some noise behind him, and he turned to speak to someone faintly before Kaori heard his voice more clearly over the receiver. "Well, then. I'll probably see you on Monday, Kaori-chan."

"Okay," Kaori replied. She waited until he hung up, before putting her own landline back on the hook. She closed her eyes, feeling her heart thumping loudly, almost exploding out of her chest. She didn't know how long she sat there, with her eyes closed. She didn't open them until Kaori's mother came back into the living room, spatula in hand.

"Who was that, Kaori?"

Kaori looked up at her mother. "A good friend."

"Oh. Well, you should give them your cell number darling, that's what it's for. It almost shocked me to hear that ancient phone ringing, I forgot we even had it," Kaori's mother muttered, walking back into the kitchen.

Kaori smiled.

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" _Hey! No cheating, Rin-kun!" Sousuke insisted, as Rin did something fishy with the dice behind his back. They were sitting in the classroom during playtime; the rain was pouring during monsoon season, and sensei had forbidden them to go outdoors. The seven-year old kids were instead cooped up inside the classroom, playing board games. "What are you doing with the dice there?"_

" _Nothing," Rin mumbled, putting the dice in front of him and rolling it. He cursed when the dots added up to four; moving his token on the board. "Your turn."_

" _You're losing," Sousuke pointed out gleefully as he rolled the dice himself. Rin frowned, but smiled when he spotted something over Sousuke's head. He grinned and waved at someone. "There's Kisumi-kun! Who's that girl with him? I've never seen her before."_

 _Sousuke turned and spotted the pink-haired boy coming over to them happily, pulling a girl by the hand. They looked eerily similar; the girls' hair was a pink just a few shades darker than Kisumi's. Except it was tied back into two bouncy ponytails that brushed her shoulders._

" _Rin-chan, Sousuke-chan!" Kisumi greeted, sitting down happily. He peeked at their game. "Oh, you're playing snakes and ladders! Can we join?"_

" _Sure," Rin said, removing the existing tokens from their places on the board and pulling out two new ones from the box. Sousuke noticed that the pink-haired girl seemed to hide behind Kisumi. He tilted his head to look at her properly, giving her a smile. "Hi. I'm Sousuke. What's your name?"_

" _K-kaori," the girl murmured, her cheeks flushing the same gentle pink as her hair._

 _Rin looked up with a smile. "And I'm Matsuoka Rin! My name sounds like a girl, but I'm a boy," he announced happily, before looking at Kisumi. "Is Kaori-chan your sister?"_

 _Kisumi shook his head, glancing at the girl who was still hiding behind him. "No, she's my cousin. Don't mind her. She's shy and doesn't talk much. She used to go to Iwatobi Elementary, but nobody talked to her there, so her parents put her in Sano with me."_

 _Sousuke frowned. "Oh. I'm sorry you didn't have any friends in Iwatobi, Kaori-chan."_

" _We'll be your friends!" Rin promised, holding out the four tokens to the small girl, who was watching them all with wide eyes. She looked down at his hand, as though she had no idea what he expected her to do. "Pick one," Rin prompted her._

 _Kaori gave him a shy smile, before picking the blue token and placing it on the board._

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	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Results of the last mock exam are going to be out today," Kaori heard someone say, as she entered the large class in which her cram school took place. She bit her lip, worried. Her last mock exam hadn't gone all that well, what if she didn't manage a good score? She frowned and sat alone in the front row, pulling out her notebook.

"Hi, Kaori-chan," the girl sitting beside her greeted. "Ready for today's test?"

"I couldn't complete the political science syllabus," Kaori admitted with a sigh. She hadn't managed to study over the weekend. She kept getting distracted, her mind filled with thoughts of Sousuke, and what he was like now. She hadn't seen him in two whole years. As a result, she was completely underprepared for her test. "I hope most of the questions are analytical and not theoretical."

The girl looked surprised. "You not completing the syllabus, Kaori-chan? That's not like you."

Kaori flushed red as their sensei entered the classroom and everyone went silent, settling down quickly. He began handing out papers and Kaori took a deep, calming breath, muttering her usual prayer before she uncapped her pen and rapidly began writing.

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" _Why does she come here when she doesn't intend to swim?" an 8-year old Sousuke asked curiously. He was looking up at the small, pink-haired girl that was sitting on the balcony at their swim club, her face buried in a book. Her legs were too short to even reach the ground from the chair she was sitting in._

 _Kisumi turned around. "What, Kaori? Her parents don't give her much of a choice, really. They think that she's too shy and she doesn't talk to anyone, so they make her go everywhere with me. For some reason, they think she'll open up if she hangs around me and my friends."_

" _It's true, Kisumi-chan. Kaori-chan doesn't talk at all, and you talk too much," Rin pointed out._

 _Kisumi shrugged. "I don't mind her hanging around. Does it bother you guys?"_

" _Not exactly. I mean, it's not like she gets in the way or anything, she's usually just sitting and reading," Sousuke replied. "Sometimes I forget she's even there. Like that day when we were playing near the sakura tree and we left her there because her hair was the same color as the sakura petals and we didn't even notice her, remember?"_

 _Kisumi rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Okaasan got really mad at me that day."_

 _Rin laughed, before striding over to the side of the pool and popping the back of his swim cap. "Come on, Sousuke-kun, I'll race you! Loser has to carry everyone's bags on the way home!"_

 _Sousuke grinned, running over to him. "You're on!"_

 _Sousuke lost, and he took on his punishment with a brave face. He put Kisumi's bag on one shoulder, and Rin's bag on the other. When he held his hand out to Kaori though, she stared at him fearfully with those big eyes, clutching her bag to her chest. She seemed to think he would snatch it away from her._

" _It's okay, Kaori," Kisumi told her patiently. "It's his punishment for losing, he has to carry everyone's bags home. You'll get it back in a bit."_

 _Kaori handed over her bag reluctantly, blushing slightly when Sousuke gave her a comforting smile. They all headed home; Rin's house arriving first, and then Kisumi's. Normally, Sousuke took a turn before Kisumi's house for his own, but Rin had insisted that as part of the punishment, Sousuke had to carry the bag all the way till the person's home._

" _Y-you don't have to walk all the way with me," Kaori mumbled so quietly that Sousuke barely hear her. Sousuke looked at her in surprise. He'd gotten so used to the girl's silent presence that for a moment, he'd almost forgotten she could speak. She was blushing furiously, even the small speech seeming like an effort for her. "I can go myself."_

" _That's okay," Sousuke replied with a sigh. "I don't want to bail halfway through the punishment. I'll make Rin lose tomorrow and then he'll have to carry your bag, you just wait and see."_

" _I think you could beat him at butterfly," Kaori said quietly. Her eyes widened a little after she said it, almost as if she couldn't believe that she'd said it out loud. She stared at her feet silently as they continued walking._

" _Yeah, you're right!" Sousuke realized, looking thoughtful. "It's not fair that we always race freestyle, that's his favorite stroke. Next time, I'll try challenging him to a butterfly race. Arigato, Kaori-chan!"_

 _Kaori flushed, her cheeks turning a deep pink. Sousuke smiled, resisting the urge to reach out to touch her blushing face. He was filled with a sudden curiosity to know what her skin felt like, but he kept his hands at his sides. "Ne, Kaori-chan, why do you rarely talk?"_

 _Kaori looked like a deer caught in the headlights. "I… I don't know what to say," she mumbled._

 _Sousuke laughed. "Well, that's true. With me, Rin and Kisumi around all the time, I guess we don't give you much of a chance to speak, huh? Especially Kisumi-kun. He never stops talking. You're both really different." Kaori didn't respond and they walked a little further, before Sousuke asked quietly. "You were in Iwatobi before, right? Why didn't you talk to anyone there?"_

" _I didn't like anyone there," Kaori mumbled._

" _Hmm. I guess I can understand that. I made friends with only Rin in school because I don't like anybody except for him. But you like us, right, Kaori-chan?"_

 _Kaori nodded quickly, her pink hair covering her face from his view. They stopped outside her house and Kaori held her hand out for her bag. "Thanks for carrying it," she said quietly._

" _You're welcome," Sousuke replied, swinging it off his shoulder. The top zip was hanging open and a piece of paper fluttered out. It landed on the ground, and Sousuke hurried to grab it before the wind could blow it away. "Oops- gomen. Hey, what's this? Tokyo University?"_

 _Kaori took it from him quickly, stuffing it in her bag. But Sousuke was curious. Why was she carrying around a brochure for the University of Tokyo? "Why do you have that, Kaori-chan?"_

 _Kaori held her bag tightly, shifting from one foot to the other uncomfortably. "I was at the library last week and it fell out of a high school student's bag," she mumbled. "I was going to return it, but I couldn't work up the courage to go and give it to him. I wasn't stealing, I swear! It seemed really interesting and I wanted to read it, which was all!"_

 _Sousuke stared, surprised that this quiet girl was capable of uttering more than one sentence at a time. It wasn't until she'd stopped speaking and he'd gaped at her for a few seconds, that he could respond. "Well, it's just a brochure, it's hardly stealing," Sousuke pointed out comfortingly. "But why would you want that? It's boring."_

 _Kaori blushed. "I… I want to go there when I'm older. I want to study law at the University of Tokyo," she muttered. "I know it's stupid and you might laugh because I'm so shy that I can barely speak to strangers, but I'm going do it one day."_

 _Sousuke stared at her. It struck him, almost like a bolt of lightning, that this shy, quiet, bookish little girl was more than just someone who followed Kisumi around. He shared something with her. They both had a dream. A dream that they were willing to go to any lengths to achieve, no matter how impossible it seemed at the moment._

" _Please don't tell anyone," Kaori said quickly, looking up at him. "I haven't told anyone yet."_

" _I won't," Sousuke promised. He watched as Kaori turned and opened the gate to her house, her pink hair swinging behind her. Just before she disappeared inside, however, he called out to her._

" _Kaori-chan?" She turned to face him in surprise and Sousuke took a deep breath. "I'm sorry for saying it was boring. If it's your dream and it's something you want to do, then that's not boring at all. It's actually… really cool."_

 _Kaori flushed a bright red, before slipping inside her house. Sousuke laughed and turned around, heading back home._

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Kaori handed in her test paper at the front desk, and slowly exited her classroom. She'd managed to finish the test, but her mind travelled back to Sousuke as soon as she was finished. He'd said _see you on Monday_ , but Monday was almost over. She glanced down at her phone, realizing it was seven pm. Should she call him? But she didn't have his number, and that ancient landline of hers didn't have caller ID…

Kaori followed her classmates out of the cram school building, head bent as she contemplated what to do. She wanted to see Sousuke badly, but would it be weird if she sought him out? She didn't want to seem desperate. She was walking so quickly that she didn't even realize someone was in front of her until her head bumped into a solid chest.

"Gomen'nasai," she said quickly, looking up. The man in front of her was tall, and smiled down at her with kind, blue-green eyes. Kaori let out an audible gasp. "Sousuke…"

Sousuke chuckled, as he gently grabbed Kaori's shoulder and pulled her out of the crowd of students that were rushing to get home. He kept his hand there; the warmth burned through Kaori's uniform shirt and she could feel it in her skin. "Wow, Kaori-chan. Are those huge glasses _helping_ your vision or obstructing it?" he asked with a smile.

Kaori flushed. It had been a long time since she had blushed, but she couldn't help herself when Sousuke was looking at her that way. "Baka. Shut up," she muttered. She looked up at him, unable to hold back her smile. "You recognized me."

Sousuke raised an eyebrow. "Well, look at you. Hair the color of sakura petals and those thick-rimmed glasses? I would have spotted you from a mile away. You've grown taller, though," he added, gently removing the hand on her shoulder to place it on her head. Her hair was soft under his fingers.

"That doesn't mean much when you're the size of a giant," Kaori mumbled, still looking at the ground. Her voice broke slightly, and Sousuke was surprised when he heard a small sniff. He instantly shifted his hand to her chin, tilting her head up so he could see the tears brimming in her purple eyes. He couldn't resist a laugh. "You're such a girl. Are you really crying?"

"Baka, shut up," she mumbled swatting his arm as she sniffed again and wiped her tears away with the back of her sleeve. She kept her head facing down and Sousuke laughed at her, before stepping closer and pulling her into a tight hug.

She was soft and warm, Sousuke noted, as he held the sniffling girl. She pressed closer to him, her face nuzzling into his neck, just at the crook of his shoulder blades. He felt a warm tear fall onto the bare skin near his collar and he held her tightly, his arms circling her back and waist. They'd held like this before; just before Sousuke had left for Tokyo. She'd been small and thin, then, but she wasn't anymore. He could feel full breasts pressing into his chest, and a curvy waist that ended in full hips. Sousuke flushed red, feeling a little guilty for thinking about her body while she was crying.

"Gomen," Kaori muttered, gently pushing away from his chest after a few seconds. She choked out a laugh when she saw how small her hand looked on his chest. "Is that all real?" she joked, poking a muscle lightly.

"I don't know," Sousuke replied with a grin. He glanced down at her chest obviously. "Is _that_?"

"Pervert," Kaori snapped, flushing a furious red. Sousuke couldn't help himself; he placed a thumb on her flaming red cheek and stroked it softly, while Kaori looked up at him, her purple eyes shining. "I'm glad you're back," she whispered finally.

"I'm glad to be back too," Sousuke replied.

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 _The day after Rin left for Australia, Kaori spotted Sousuke sitting alone in the park, on her way home from the library. She hesitated. He looked miserable, as anyone would be if their best friend left for another country. Kaori walked over and sat next to him on the concrete slab, putting her books on her lap quietly._

" _I don't want to talk," Sousuke replied, not even looking up. He traced the dirt on the ground with a stick, before glancing at the pink-haired girl from the corner of his eye._

" _You don't have to," she replied simply, opening the top book on her pile. "I'm just going to read."_

 _Sousuke blinked, surprised when Kaori pushed her recently-acquired thick glasses up her nose and began to silently read. Her chin rested on her palm, while the other hand flipped pages. He sighed. Kaori was good at being silent, too. She could probably just sit here without talking all day if she wanted to. Sousuke was silent for a long time, before he finally said,_

" _I didn't want him to go."_

 _Kaori looked up at Sousuke quietly. "Did you tell him that?"_

" _Of course not. I wasn't going to ask him not to follow his dreams," Sousuke replied sharply._

" _Then you're a good friend."_

 _Sousuke shrugged. It wasn't very comforting. He sighed and leaned forward to rest his chin on his knees, wrapping his arms around them. He closed his blue-green eyes and was quiet for a long moment. He glanced at Kaori; she wasn't reading anymore. She'd closed her book and was staring into the distance in the park, one hand twirling a strand of pink hair. He blinked at her. "It just hurts," Sousuke admitted with a sigh. "That he's going off to follow his dreams and I'm still here."_

 _Kaori smiled. "You have your own dreams, right?"_

" _I want to become an international swimmer," Sousuke replied. He sighed. "But that's too far off."_

 _There was a long silence, before Kaori slowly stood up, tucking her books under her arm. "Can I show you something, Sousuke-kun?"_

 _Sousuke blinked at her. "What?"_

" _Just come."_

 _He followed the pink-haired girl silently as she led him out of the park and down the street. They'd walked almost an entire block before Sousuke began to get annoyed and wonder what she was trying to do. "Kaori-chan, where are we going?" he demanded, a little annoyed as the pink haired girl walked quickly in front of him. After a moment, she stopped outside a large building._

" _Here," she said simply._

 _Sousuke raised an eyebrow. "Here_ what?"

" _This is an institution that offers coaching for the entrance exam to the University of Tokyo, Law Faculty," she replied, gesturing towards the building. Sousuke looked at it with interest. "I'm going to start going here in the evenings once I start high school. I'll take their mock tests so that when the time comes, I'll be prepared for the entrance exam."_

" _So that's your dream," Sousuke mused quietly. Kaori looked at him sharply._

" _No. That's not my dream. That's my plan," Kaori replied. She gestured towards the building. "This is for when I reach high school. But it's going to start before that. Once we start middle school, I'm going to run for student council. I figure that will help me open up more and learn how to talk to people. I'm taking a part-time job at the local library, so that I can spend more time studying while I gain work experience. They look at things like that when you apply to the university. I'm also planning to volunteer at a few NGOs and animal shelters next summer."_

 _Sousuke blinked. "You've really thought this through."_

 _Kaori nodded. "I think that's the problem, Sousuke. You have a dream. Now you have to make a plan."_

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"Was Rin glad to see you?" Kaori asked. They sat in a small ramen shop a few blocks away from her cram school, eating noodles. Sousuke had offered to take her out to dinner, and Kaori found that she couldn't refuse him. She tried to forget the fact that she had piles of work pending to do, and focused on the teal-eyed boy in front of her. He seemed almost too large to fit the chair, and Kaori wondered how he'd become so buff. Surely it wasn't all swimming?

Sousuke nodded lightly. "Yeah, Rin was glad. He's still the same."

"Really?" Kaori frowned. "He seemed different to me. I met him a few months ago, and he was really cold. He recognized me, but he didn't make any effort to speak to me. It was kind of… uncomfortable," she admitted. "Maybe he was going through a rough time."

"He said he hit a wall in Australia."

"Oh," Kaori blinked. "That's a shame. Is he okay now?"

"I think he's happy." Sousuke bit his lip, poking his chopsticks lazily at the plate. Kaori noticed that he wasn't eating much; he didn't seem to have any interest in his food. He was also being oddly quiet. He used to be much more talkative. Kaori watched him for a few seconds before speaking.

"You don't like the ramen here?" she asked.

Sousuke blinked. "What? No, it's great."

"You're not eating."

"I don't have much of an appetite," he explained quietly. He took a deep breath before his blue-green eyes turned to look up at her with a smile. "Tell me about yourself. I've been hearing things about you, young lady. Student Council president at Iwatobi, eh?"

Kaori flushed. "Shut up."

Sousuke smiled, and he reached across the table to take Kaori's hand. She blushed when he squeezed it comfortingly, his soft teal eyes looking straight into hers. "I'm not teasing you, Kaori. I'm really happy for you. I'm glad your life is on track and you're heading towards what you've always wanted. Just don't work too hard, okay?"

Kaori laughed. "Look who's talking. Didn't you once tell me there's no such thing as working too hard?"

"I was wrong," Sousuke replied harshly. Kaori blinked at his sudden change in tone, wondering what had upset him. But he'd released her hand and leaned back in his chair, teal eyes staring down at the half-eaten plate of ramen. "It's great to have a plan and a goal, but you can't lose yourself in that. You can't lose your balance."

"I won't," Kaori promised quietly.

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 **A/N – Thanks to all those who are reading! Do leave a review. I love writing Free/OC stories and I'm willing to take requests as well!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Kaori stood quietly in the front lobby of the newly reconstructed swim club; it was filled with little kids all over the place, wearing rubber tubes and colorful swimsuits. She smiled at the sight. It was an abundance of cuteness. She was just watching an adorable little boy struggle to blow up his inflatable tube, when someone called out to her.

"Kaori-senpai!"

Kaori turned and smiled. "Hello, Kou-chan! Are you here with the Iwatobi swim club?"

Kou nodded, gesturing towards the four boys who were waiting nearby. They were all looking at their watches, wondering why the other relay team hadn't shown up yet. Gou beamed at Kaori. "Yep! Are you here to watch us? We're glad to have you cheer! After all, you're the one who helped us get the budget increase for our pool approved, President!"

"They would have increased your budget with or without me," Kaori replied with a flush. All the same, it was nice to have her hard work for the Student Council appreciated. "But I'm sorry I can't really cheer for you guys; I came here because Sousuke-kun asked me to watch him swim with Rin-kun. But I always hope Iwatobi does well!"

"Oh," Kou said, looking thoughtful. "I forgot that you used to be friends with onii-chan in elementary school. Are you and Sousuke-kun dating?"

Kaori flushed, her cheeks turning a shade to match her hair. "No, we're just childhood friends."

Kou was prevented responding by the sight of the Samezuka swim team entering the swim club. Kaori smiled and waved at Sousuke, whose teal eyes shone at the sight of her. He looked enormous next to all the small children milling around, and she couldn't resist a giggle. Rin was dragging along a boy with bright orange hair, who was yelling at him.

"You said you were taking me somewhere with cute girls!" the orange-haired boy whined.

"Shut up! There are plenty of cute girls here!" Rin scolded him.

Kaori watched in silent amusement as the orange haired boy began crying about how he'd been tricked and he'd thought there would be cute girls, and his life was completely unfair. He stopped rather abruptly, however, at the sight of Kou, who went running up to greet her brother.

"Hey Gou," Rin greeted. The orange-haired boy, however, threw Rin's arm off him and stopped, his eyes going wide as he stared at Kou in complete wonder. He gaped, flushing red as he declared that Gou was really cute. Rin frowned in irritation. He noticed Kaori walking past him to go speak to Sousuke, and grabbed her arm to stop her. Kaori was pulled back, and stared up at Rin in surprise.

"Rin-kun?" she asked with a frown, yanking her arm out of his grip. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Kaori-chan! Fancy seeing you here! Are you here to watch Sousuke swim again?" he asked cheerfully, making Kaori raise an eyebrow. Why was he suddenly being nice? She tried to walk back to Sousuke, but Rin put his arm around her shoulders in a friendly manner. He moved his head closer to her ear and lowered his voice. "Please, please, go flirt with Mikoshiba!"

"What?" Kaori hissed.

"Look, I promised him girls. It's either you or my sister and frankly, I'd rather it was you."

Kaori raised an eyebrow at him. "Flirting isn't really one of my skills."

"Come on, Kaori-chan! Look at the kid. You don't have to flirt, just give him a sweet smile and nod every few minutes. Okay?" When Kaori didn't respond, Rin nudged her. "Come on, Sousuke won't mind. Hey, Mikoshiba! Come here, let me introduce you to my friend Kaori-chan!"

Kaori sighed as the orange-haired kid diverted his attention, coming to look at Kaori and declare that she was cute as well. She forced a smile, watching Sousuke standing nearby. His teal eyes were narrowed at Haru; the two of them were having a staring match.

Kaori sighed. She should have known this would happen.

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Sousuke was silent as he dried his hair with a towel, his arms flexing slightly. Kaori stood next to him, flushing and trying not to stare at his body. He was without a doubt the most well-built man there, and she found herself unable to take her eyes away from his muscles. Or those twinkling eyes that were both kind and fierce at the same time.

"And you girls get offended when guys stare at your breasts," Sousuke muttered.

Kaori flushed and glared at him. "Baka! What is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," Sousuke replied simply, stuffing the towel into his bag. He swung it lightly over his shoulder and his teal eyes looked calmly down at her blushing face. He patted her pink hair lightly with his palm. "So? What did you think of that relay?"

"You've become really amazing," Kaori said honestly, smiling at him. "No wonder you got scouted so soon, Sousuke. But I was kind of disappointed; I didn't know you were swimming the freestyle leg, I was kind of looking forward to seeing your butterfly. Is there… a reason for that?"

Sousuke frowned slightly. He should have known that Kaori would see right through him. He avoided her gaze, turning instead to look at where Rin and Mikoshiba were talking a few feet away. Sousuke's fists clenched. "I just felt like swimming freestyle."

"Because you wanted to compete with Haruka-kun."

Sousuke turned to look at Kaori sharply. "Is that so bad?"

"No, I just…" Kaori frowned, pushing her glasses up on her nose before looking up at him bravely. She couldn't keep what she was thinking inside. It was better she just said it out loud. "I hope that the reason you came back home for your last year of high school wasn't to settle petty childhood grudges, Sousuke."

She flinched at the dark look he gave her. "Is that what you think of me?"

"What? No, gomen, forget I said anything-" Kaori said quickly, but Sousuke had already walked past her and was heading for the entrance. Her heart sank as she watched his hulking figure walk away, but he stopped for a moment in the doorway, his head turning sideways to speak to her.

"Besides," he added quietly. "If I can maintain a childhood love, why can't I maintain a childhood grudge?"

Kaori was afraid to think of what that could mean.

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 _Kaori never thought the advice she gave him would backfire._

" _Tokyo," she repeated quietly. They were sitting on a bench in the park, having gone there after the last day of middle school to have ice-cream. Kaori stared down at her melting chocolate cone. She suddenly felt sick at the sight of it, and stopped to throw it on the trash can beside her. Sousuke blinked in surprise._

" _Kaori…"_

" _I'm fine," Kaori shook her head, forcing a smile on her face and turning to look at Sousuke. "Sousuke-kun, that's wonderful. They have a really amazing swim team which goes for national-level tournaments, right? You'll really get a chance to shine there."_

 _Sousuke was silent. He looked down at his hands. "You won't ask me not to go?"_

" _Would you stay if I asked you to?" Kaori asked quietly. She looked up at him and realized that his blue-green eyes were staring at the ground dully._

" _I don't know," Sousuke mumbled. His hands trembled slightly in his lap. "I think if you asked me to, I wouldn't be able to say no to you. I'm not sure right now. What I am sure of is that I love you. And if you said that you loved me back and asked me to stay, I might just do it."_

 _Kaori froze. She turned to face him, her eyes widening behind her thick-rimmed glasses. Her mouth dropped open slightly. "Do you-do you mean that?"_

 _Sousuke avoided her gaze. "Y-yes."_

 _Kaori was silent for a long time. She closed her eyes, feeling her_ _heartbeat thud in her chest, Sousuke watched her; the small girl sitting beside him with her pink hair blowing in the wind and her hands gripping the wooden bench tightly. She bit her lip, before finally looking up at him with tear-filled eyes. "You should go to Tokyo."_

 _His heart dropped._ She doesn't care. _"Okay," he mumbled. He stood up quietly, hoping that she wouldn't notice the disappointment on his face. He took a deep breath, willing himself not to cry and started to walk away, when he heard pattering footsteps behind him._

" _Sousuke, wait!" Kaori insisted. She grabbed his hand and forced him to turn around, tears in her eyes. "I'm not… I didn't say that you should go to Tokyo because I don't love you. Please don't think I was rejecting your confession."_

" _Then what were you doing?"_

 _Kaori hesitated. Her fingers trembled as she forced herself to look at him, despite the tears brimming in her eyes. "I… I love you too. But I don't want to accept your confession if it means that you would give up on Tokyo. I could never bear knowing that I was the reason you didn't take an amazing opportunity."_

 _Sousuke's eyes widened and he looked down at her in surprise. "I mean… that's not… I wouldn't want you to feel that way."_

 _Kaori looked up at him. "Would you ever have asked Rin not to go to Australia?"_

 _Sousuke shook his head. "No."_

" _But that's not because you didn't care about him, right?"_

" _I… I understand," Sousuke replied quietly. He stepped closer to her, taking his hand in hers. Kaori flushed pink, although her fingers squeezed his in return. He placed his other hand on her flushed cheek, tilting her head up to look at him. "It's not the right time, right? That's what you're trying to say? That we should wait until we've achieved our dreams?"_

 _Kaori nodded. Her fingers felt numb in his, but she still maintained her grip. "I'm not going anywhere, Sousuke-kun. But you won't get the chance to go to an amazing school in Tokyo again. You shouldn't give that up."_

" _You'll stay in touch?" he asked quietly._

" _I promise," Kaori replied, forcing a smile at him. "If all goes well, I'll be joining you in Tokyo in three years. If you're willing to wait for me that long, that is."_

" _I am," Sousuke said quickly. "I… I hope you get everything you want, Kaori."_

 _Kaori nodded. She stood on her toes, a sudden burst of confidence overtaking her as she kissed his cheek. His skin was warm and soft under her lips, and she quickly pulled away. "Gambatte, Sousuke-kun. I hope you do well. Don't leave me waiting for nothing."_

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 **A/N – Thank you so much for the review, LilShorty0594! Hope you enjoyed it!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"What about class 2-B, then? They haven't given me any indication as to what they want to do," Kaori muttered, as she looked at her list. She glanced around at the Student Council members, as they sat in a circular form for their weekly meeting. "Hideki-kun, can you please get in touch with their class rep and tell them they have to get back to me by Thursday?"

Hideki, who was sitting across from her, nodded. "Hai, I'll do that."

"Arigato. All right, I think that's it. We'll meet again on Thursday. Is there anything anyone else wants to discuss?"

A girl from across the table raised her hand. "Kaichou, I wanted to ask about the status of the posters that we sent for printing? We've cleared the space to put them up."

Kaori checked her file. "Ano… yes! Those will be here by tomorrow. Thank you for reminding me. Can you come meet me during the break to take them from me, Ayaka-san?"

The girl nodded. "Of course!"

"All right. Meeting dismissed. Thursday everyone, I'll send out a reminder. Well done." Kaori stood up, as the rest of the student council members started filing out. Kaori smiled at them, while gathering up the files and loose papers on her desk. She was just about to stack them into a pile when she felt a presence behind her. She whirled around and came face to face with Sousuke.

"Well, well. Kaichou in action. To think that two years ago, you couldn't even look strangers in the eye to speak to them, and now you're ordering them around with perfect ease."

Kaori flushed. "Sousuke-kun! What are you doing here, how did you get in?"

"Your schoolmates can walk in and out of the Samezuka pool as they please but I can't wait outside a student council meeting?" Sousuke asked with a raised eyebrow. He took the stack of files from her hands, waiting as she slung her bag over her shoulder. "I came to apologize."

Kaori blinked. "Apologize?"

"I was rude to you at the Iwatobi swim club," Sousuke replied. He sighed and frowned. "I guess I just don't like hearing the truth sometimes. I don't mind lying to make myself and others feel better. I shouldn't have tried to pull it off with you."

Kaori shook her head. "I shouldn't have accused you of anything either. Let's forget it."

Sousuke nodded, as the two of them quietly walked out of the Student Council room. Kaori glanced at Sousuke; he was carrying her files casually in one arm as he towered over her. She still couldn't believe how much he'd grown in the past two years. He'd become quieter, more serious. Kaori noticed that he barely smiled anymore. She smiled and lightly bumped her shoulder against his. "So, tell me more about how you got scouted. Your parents must be so happy. When did it happen?"

Sousuke forced a smile. "Uh, at the end of second year. To be honest, I don't really want to talk about it. It's all I've been dealing with for a while. Tell me more about how things have been in Iwatobi. How's Student Council work?"

Kaori blinked at his insistence on changing the topic. It was odd. She thought Sousuke would be more excited to tell her about getting scouted for one of the top universities. She looked up at his serious face for a moment. "Oh. Eto… it's not bad. It's a nice way to get to know new people, although it's a lot of work. Our cultural festival is coming soon. Will you come by?"

Sousuke nodded. "Of course, if you want me to."

Kaori grinned. "Great! I'll show you around, and there'll be a lot of great food! Iwatobi's cultural festivals are really famous! I just hope this year's is up to standard considering I'm mostly responsible for everything that happens…"

"You'll do great," Sousuke promised her, his teal eyes turning to look at Kaori softly. "You always do."

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"Forms are here. Where's the signed permission slip to use the auditorium?" Kaori demanded, as she hurried down the corridor. Two student council members were following her, both looked equally frazzled. The cultural festival was that day, and they were all at their wits' end. Kaori whirled around. "Hideki, you _did_ get the permission slip signed?"

Hideki blinked at her. "I thought Mika-san was supposed to do it…"

Kaori's eyes flashed. "Get it signed. _Now._ "

Hideki nodded numbly and hurried off in the opposite direction. Kaori turned to look at the other student council member standing behind her. "All right. Aya-san, I need you to go to Kobayashi-sensei and stall for time while Hideki-kun gets the permission slip. I have to go make sure there isn't going to be any delay in starting the first event."

Kaori sighed and hurried down the hallway, pushing her glasses up on her nose. It was barely 10 am and she was already feeling exhausted. She ran out onto the field, where she luckily saw that the events for the races were all ready. At least s _ome_ of the Student Council members were efficient. "Is everything okay here?" she called out to the Student Council Member who was setting up the sound system for the announcements.

The student looked up. "Hai, Kaichou! We're fine here! But the people at the food stalls were looking for you earlier, I think there was some problem with napkins…"

 _Damn._ "I'll take care of it!" Kaori promised, pulling out her phone to make a few calls to the storeroom. She had to make sure that napkins were sent to the foodstalls area in time. Once she was certain that they were on their way, she paused near the front gates. People were already starting to arrive; some of them were students of Iwatobi, but there were guests as well. Kaori paused and gave a few people polite smiles. She noticed the Swim Club group coming in, all of them dressed in swimsuits.

"Kaori-senpai!" Kou greeted her happily, skipping over. The rest of the boys followed, greeting Kaori as well. "Wow, the cultural festival looks so great! You must have worked so hard to set all of this up!'

Kaori smiled. Despite how exhausted she was, it was still nice to hear praise. After all, she'd been working for this for weeks. "Arigatou, Kou-chan," she said gratefully. "I hope you guys have a good time. Weren't you registered for the relay race today?"

Makoto nodded. "Hai. We were hoping that it might help increase our club's popularity."

"Well…" Kaori glanced at her watch. "It starts in two minutes."

"Oh no!" Kou's eyes widened and she began sprinting towards the field. "Wish us luck, Kaori-senpai!"

Kaori grinned as she watched the small red-headed girl run as fast as she could, the four boys in swimsuits trying to keep up with her. Well. At least they were getting some warming up done. She waited quietly as they disappeared into the distance. She was about to pull out her phone when she saw another familiar figure entering the front gates of the school. Her eyes widened and she grinned, waving at Sousuke eagerly.

"Sousuke-kun!" Kaori called out. Sousuke made eye contact with her and raised a hand to signal that he'd seen her. He approached slowly, his hands in the pockets of his tracksuit pants. As he came closer, Kaori noticed that his hair was slightly damp. "Did you just come from swim practice?" she asked him.

Sousuke nodded, running a hand over his short, dark hair. "Hai. I had to convince Rin to let me leave early."

"Really? I thought he would want to come himself. Kou-chan's been working pretty hard for the swim club's events. Anyway, I'm really glad you came," Kaori replied with a smile. "Do you remember the cultural festival in our first year of middle school?"

Sousuke chuckled. "Hai, I remember it. Our class put on some play, right? They made you and Kisumi-kun play the talking flowers because you had pink hair. I remember you were waddling around in a green outfit with huge leaves stuck to your arms. You looked hilarious."

Kaori flushed as Sousuke lightly patted her head. His fingers gently stroked her sakura-colored locks, pushing a strand behind her ear. She felt her skin tingle wherever his large hand brushed against it. "Oi. Baka, shut up. It was really difficult. They made me take off my glasses so I could barely see where I was going." Kaori smiled up at him, teasingly. "You're making fun of me now, but you were sweet enough tp hold my hand and lead me around everywhere all day."

Sousuke rolled his eyes. "Well, you were banging into everything-"

"Hai, hai. You can act as cold and indifferent as you want. I know that you're a softie on the inside. Inside that hard shell is a big, cuddly teddy bear." Kaori poked her finger into his chest and almost instantly winced in pain. What was he made of, steel? "Ow-ow!"

"Teddy bear, hmm?" Sousuke asked lightly. He grasped her hand and stroked his thumb over her index finger. Then he gently brought her hand up to his lips and kissed her finger. Kaori's eyes widened and her face flushed brilliantly as Sousuke dropped her hand. "Better?"

"Y-yes."

"Well, come on then. Show me around your school."

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Sousuke was surprised as he walked around the cultural festival with Kaori, to see that she spoke to almost every single person that crossed their path. He remembered her as the shy, nervous girl that would have been completely invisible. Yet now, everybody seemed to know Kaori by name, and she spoke to them all with cheerfulness and ease.

"Ohayou, Hikari-san!" Kaori greeted the girl who was standing at the ice cream stall. The girl smiled and straightened up at the sight of her Student Council President. Kaori glanced at the menu. "Wow, so you managed to get the strawberry flavor after all, eh? I'm glad! I hope the vendor didn't give you much trouble."

Hikari shook her head quickly. "No, no, he was much more co-operative after you spoke to him, Kaori-senpai! Will you have some ice cream?"

Kaori turned and glanced at Sousuke questioningly. He looked slightly amused and shrugged. He was supposed to be maintaining a diet, but he figured that he could break it just one time. "Sure, a little couldn't hurt. I'll have a small chocolate cup," he replied. Kaori ordered a vanilla and Sousuke dug into his wallet for the necessary change. When he offered it to the girl, though, she shook her head and refused.

"Oh-that's okay, senpai!" Hikari replied quickly. "Kaori-senpai was the one who helped us get all the things arranged from the stall, it's the least we can do for her and her guest! I hope you have a nice time at our festival!"

Sousuke blinked and pocketed his money as Kaori thanked the girl. They began to walk further down the lawns, both holding their cups of ice cream. Kaori suggested that they sit down on a patch of grass and they sat down in the shade. Kaori hummed as she licked her ice cream. "Mmm. This is so sweet. It was nice of Hikari to give it to us for free, right?"

Sousuke smiled. "Hmm."

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Nothing," Sousuke replied quietly. He watched as she nervously pushed her glasses up her nose, frowning slightly at him. He ate a spoonful or his own ice cream. "You've just changed a lot, Kaori-chan. You would never have been able to speak to all these people a few years ago. You would have been too shy to even go up to one of the stalls and _buy_ ice cream."

Kaori looked up at him and bit her lip. "You were the one who helped me break out of my shell."

"Really?"

"Hmm. I never would have gained the confidence to go up and speak to people if it wasn't for you. Even when I was running for class president in middle school- I was so nervous that I was about to drop out of the election the night before, do you remember? But you made sure I stuck through with it."

Sousuke laughed. "Well, I couldn't let you drop out after all the effort I put in!"

"Effort?"

"Well… I don't know if I should tell you this." Sousuke rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. Kaori blinked at the sight of his broad, firm shoulders before forcing herself to look back into his eyes. "But I was really worried that you might lose. After all, I was the one who'd convinced you that you were sure to win. I didn't want to be responsible for making you upset. So I intimidated a few of the guys from our class and made sure that they would vote for you."

Kaori's mouth dropped open. " _What_?"

Sousuke flinched slightly. "I'm sorry! Please don't get mad!"

Kaori put her ice cream down on the grass and glared at him. "Baka! I can't believe it! You rigged my first class election!" she wailed, leaning over and hitting him on the arm and shoulder. Sousuke laughed as her fists pounded lightly on his shoulder and upper arm. He leaned back on the grass as Kaori attempted to hit him in vain. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his shoulder and he winced, clutching his arm. Kaori's eyes widened and she quickly pulled away from him. "Sousuke-kun? Are you okay? Gomen, I didn't mean to really hurt you!"

Sousuke forced a grin as the pain slowly subsided. He raised an eyebrow. "Just kidding. But it made you stop hitting me, didn't it?" he teased, playing it off as a prank. Kaori's eyes widened again.

"Baka. I hate you." She picked up her ice cream and shoved another spoonful into her mouth with a pout on her face. Sousuke watched, wondering how she could be do adorable. He felt the urge to lean over and kiss her on the lips, taste the ice cream that she was angrily shoving into her mouth. Before he could move though, Kaori glanced up at him. "Arigatou," she mumbled.

"Hm?"

"Thank you. For rigging the election. It's a little disappointing to know that I didn't win it myself, but… it gave me the confidence I needed to get here, so I suppose it was all right." Kaori gave him a weak smile. "But don't ever lie to me again, okay?"

Sousuke nodded silently. Before he could say anything, though, a pair of girls came up to them, calling Kaori's name. He frowned. While he was glad that Kaori had become more social and gained confidence, the constant buzz of people wanting to talk to her was getting annoying. He had hoped to spend time at the festival with just her.

"Kaori-san! I'm glad to see you, did you watch the relay race?" one of the girls asked eagerly.

Kaori looked up at the girls and shook her head. "Oh-no! Gomen, I missed it. Who won?"

"The Swim Club." Sousuke was silent as the girls turned to stare at him openly. He'd gotten used to it by now. Every single person that came to talk to Kaori had given him an odd look. Some had openly asked who he was, others had simply looked curious and kept quiet. These girls belonged to the former group. "Kaori-san, is this your boyfriend? Wow, I didn't know you had a boyfriend! Which school is he from?"

Sousuke resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Did they not see that he was sitting right there? Even Kaori seemed a little embarrassed at their lack of manners but she smiled at them politely. "Uh, no, this is Sousuke-kun. He goes to Samezuka Academy, but he's not my-"

"Sugoi! You're dating a boy from Samezuka!" one of the girls turned to look at him in awe. "Are you on their swim club? I hear it's very famous! You must be so rich to go to a private school!"

Sousuke raised an eyebrow. These girls literally had no manners. He frowned and wondered if he should just play along and embarrass Kaori a little bit. He smiled kindly at them. "Hai, I just started at Samezuka recently. I was in Tokyo before that, at one of the swimming academies."

The girls looked surprised. "Tokyo! Wow! Then why did you come back to Iwatobi?"

Sousuke turned and glanced at Kaori, giving her a charming smile. She flushed deeply. "I missed Kaori-chan too much to stay there. I decided to return to Iwatobi so I could spend my last year of high school with her."

"Kawaii! That's so romantic! Kaori-san, your boyfriend is so sweet, you're so lucky!" the girls gushed. Kaori was sitting silently, her face a deep red color as she glared at Sousuke. He, on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying himself. He was smiling smugly as the two girls commented on how cute they looked together. Sousuke casually put an arm around Kaori's shoulder and pulled her into his side.

"How long have you two been dating?" one of the girls asked eagerly.

Sousuke smiled and looked down at the embarrassed Kaori, who was pressed into his side and avoiding his gaze. "Well, I confessed to Kaori-chan at the end of middle school, just before I left for Tokyo. She promised she would wait for me until I came back, and she did."

"Ehh?" the girls squealed. "Sugoi! Kaori-san, you never told us that you had a boyfriend in Tokyo! You must be so happy now that you're back together again! Wow; childhood friends, how romantic!"

Sousuke looked down at Kaori, who was still flushing and staring at the ground. He smiled, using his arm around her shoulder to pull her a little closer, before placing a soft kiss on her pink cheek. She stared at him, wide-eyed, while the two girls gushed and hurried away, saying something about leaving Kaori-chan and her boyfriend alone. As soon as they were out of earshot, Kaori whirled around to face Sousuke.

"Why did you do that?" she demanded. His arms was still around her shoulder and she could feel the warmth from his body. She felt her voice go high. "Now they'll tell everyone in school that I have a hot swimmer boyfriend from Samezuka, people won't stop talking about it!"

Sousuke blinked at her innocently. "I don't know what you mean. Nothing I said was untrue."

"I-I mean…"

"I _did_ go to school in Tokyo. And I did confess to you after middle school and you _did_ promise that you would wait for me. And one of the reasons I came back to Iwatobi was to spend time with you. I don't see how you're getting angry when all I did was tell the truth."

Kaori flushed and turned her face down to the grass. She couldn't look into those teasing teal eyes. She wasn't sure whether Sousuke was being serious or if he was just trying to get to her. Either way, it was making her heart beat rapidly. She frowned as Sousuke took one of her hands in his and stroked his thumb over the back of her hand. "I-I mean… but… you just made it sound like something it's not…"

"What is it not, Kaori-chan?" Sousuke asked quietly.

"I-I don't know," Kaori muttered. She couldn't speak. Sousuke was too close to her; she could smell the chlorine and shampoo coming from his body and his muscular arm was wrapped around her shoulder. She was afraid that if she looked up, his blue-green eyes would be too close to hers. Kaori's breath hitched as Sousuke's thumb gently came to rest on her wrist.

"Your pulse is beating very fast, Kaori-chan. Is something making you nervous?"

Kaori opened her mouth to respond, but before she could, a loud buzzing sound came from Sousuke's pocket. He retracted him arm from around Kaori and she breathed a sigh of relief, scooting away from him. Sousuke was checking his messages with a frown. He glanced up at her. "Gomen'nasai, Kaori-chan. It's Rin. I have to get back to swim practice."

"O-oh," Kaori mumbled. "Okay. I'll see you around."

Sousuke nodded and slowly got to his feet, pulling Kaori up along with him. "Thanks for showing me your school. I'm glad we got to spend some time together."

Kaori nodded. "I-it's okay. Do you mind if I come and drop by Samezuka some time?"

"Of course not. Come whenever you want," Sousuke replied with a small smile. He put his phone into his pocket. "Bye."

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Kaori was hanging around the food stalls at the cultural festival, chatting with a few of her classmates, when she saw a familiar tuft of pink hair in the crowd. Surprised, she turned around and waved at the tall and slim boy, who was wearing a school uniform and had had the same light, sakura-colored locks as her.

"Kisumi-chan!" Kaori greeted her cousin in surprise. He grinned and waved enthusiastically as he pushed his way through a small crowd of people to catch up to her. "What are you doing here? I didn't know you were coming!"

"I can't come to see the cultural festival my little cousin organized?" Kisumi asked with a grin, ruffling Kaori's hair lightly. She frowned and swatted his hand away. Hopefully nobody had seen.

"Oi! Baka, don't do that. I have a reputation here, you know! I have enough people gossiping about me here today…" she trailed off with a frown. As she had expected, those two girls from the morning had told almost everybody that their Student Council President was in a romantic relationship with a hot guy from Samezuka Academy. Kaori hadn't been able to avoid the questions and the shock that everyone expressed when they say her. _Is it so hard to believe that I could have a boyfriend?_ She wondered. "Did you just come from school?"

Kisumi nodded. "Hai. I had basketball practice. Then I picked up Hayato and we came straight here to see you!"

Kaori looked down and smiled. She hadn't even noticed that clutching Kisumi's hand was a tiny little Hayato, looking around with a slightly awed expression on his face. A few girls walked past, commenting on how adorable he was, and Hayoto bit his lip, clutching his brother's pant leg and moving behind him slightly. He seemed intimidated by the crowd.

"Hayato-kun!" Kaori said with a grin. He smiled up at her shyly. "There you are! I haven't seen you in a while; wow, you've become so tall! You're almost as tall as your brother now!" she teased him.

Hayato smiled shyly, seeming pleased at the compliment. "Arigatou, Kaori-nee-chan."

"You're welcome," Kaori replied with a grin. She resisted the urge to pick up her adorable little cousin and plant kisses all over his face. Instead, she reached down and took his other hand. "I think you deserve a treat for becoming so tall. How about some ice cream?"

Hayato looked up eagerly and nodded.

Kaori led them to the ice cream stall, where Hikari again insisted on allowing them to eat for free. Although this time, Kaori had a feeling that it was more because Kisumi was flirting with her shamelessly than because Kaori had helped them set up the stall. All the same, Kisumi managed to get her number before he joined Kaori and Hayato with his ice cream.

Kaori slapped Kisumi's arm lightly. "Baka. Don't flirt with girls from my school. What am I supposed to tell them when you don't call them or you ditch them? I know your reputation."

Kisumi pouted as he threw an arm around Kaori's shoulders. "Kaori-chan! That's not fair! I'll call her!"

"Hai, hai," Kaori mumbled. She glanced at Hayato, who was sitting up on the bench with his legs swinging, happily licking his ice cream cone. The small boy reminded her of herself at that age. He was quiet and didn't say much. But he really seemed to look up to Kisumi; something which Kaori herself had always done. "So, how are things at school? Is basketball going well?" she asked her cousin.

"Hai! Basketball's going great! Actually, I have a match this weekend."

Kaori smiled. "Oh? Can I come?"

"No, please don't! The last time you came, my basketball captain pestered me for weeks asking for your number. I don't know what he saw in you, but that's the last thing I need." Kisumi turned and gave her a sneaky grin. "Unless you're willing to go out with him? It would really help increase my chances of being allowed to play offense this year…"

"Shut up. Don't involve me in this, your captain was a complete pervert," Kaori replied bluntly. She suddenly remembered that Hayato was there, but the small boy was licking his ice cream with too much dedication to pay attention to either of them.

"Come on! Let me set you up on one date, please, please, please?"

"Shut up!" Kaori hissed, hoping nobody could hear them. She glanced around furtively. "Look, don't say things like that here! People already think I have a boyfriend, now they'll think I'm cheating on him too! Why is today such a terrible day for me…?"

Kisumi stared at her. " _Boyfriend?_ Who? Where?"

"Nobody," Kaori snapped. The last thing she wanted was for Kisumi to find out that there was something fishy going on between her and Sousuke. He would never let her forget it; worse, he might go and say something really embarrassing to Sousuke himself. Even though he'd gone to a different middle school, he'd still teased both of them relentlessly back them. "Anyway, good luck with your match. I hope you do well.

"Actually, I need your help. You heard about that wedding our parents are going to in Osaka, right?" Kisumi asked. "This weekend?"

Kaori nodded. Her parents and Kisumi's were taking a short trip to Osaka that weekend, to attend the wedding of one of Kaori's father's cousins. Kaori had managed to worm her way out of attending by insisting that she had a lot of studying to do. "Hai, I know. Okaasan tried to convince me to stay at your house while they were gone. I told them that you probably wouldn't let me study a thing with all your chattering."

Kisumi looked offended. "Hey!"

"What? It's true."

Kisumi licked his ice cream with a frown. "Anyway, I have my basketball match. I can't really take Hayato there; he'll be left all alone while I'm playing and he doesn't do well with people. Can I leave him at your house? Please, please, please?"

Kaori raised an eyebrow and glanced at Hayato. He was looking up at her with big eyes and she couldn't resist the adorable expression on his face. "Of course I will!" she grinned and tickled Hayato's stomach and he squirmed and giggled. "We'll have a great time without your irritating onii-chan, won't we, Hayato?"

Hayato smiled and nodded.

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Kaori was exhausted as she came home that evening. She kicked her shoes off at the door, not even bothering to set them neatly against the wall. She tossed her bag onto the floor in the living room. "Tadaima!" she called out weakly. Her mother came into the living room with a smile as she saw her daughter sprawled out on the floor mat in exhaustion.

"Okaeri, Kaori," she greeted with a smile. "How was the festival?"

"Great. Tiring. I'm exhausted, I just want to sleep." she began to close her eyes slowly, but sat up abruptly as she remembered something. "Wait! I can't sleep! I have a test in cram school tomorrow, I have to study! Oh no, and it's _Economics,_ why didn't I start from before?"

Kaori's mother chuckled. "Relax, I'm sure you'll manage. Take a nap first, and then we can have dinner."

"I'm not hungry. I ate too much ice cream. I feel sick," Kaori mumbled as she forced herself to get up from the floor. She groaned and began to trudge towards her bedroom. "I'll be in my room. Let me know when Otousan gets home."

Kaori's mother smiled and sighed as she watched her daughter slouch to her bedroom. That girl worked far too hard sometimes.

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" _Sousuke-kun!" Kisumi called out eagerly. The pink-haired boy waved eagerly to his friend, who was lazily kicking around a football in the park. Sousuke glanced up and waved back at Kisumi. He'd been waiting for his friends for a long time, but none of them had turned up. He was relieved to at least see Kisumi. "Hey; why are you alone?" Kisumi asked._

 _Sousuke frowned. "Rin's hanging out with his friends from Iwatobi."_

" _Oh." Kisumi looked a little surprised. "Those swim club friends of his? Anyway, it doesn't matter, we can play! Do you want to play basketball? I'm planning on trying out for the school team, you can help me practice!"_

" _Sure," Sousuke muttered, catching the basketball that Kisumi tossed at him. He looked around, unable to shake the feeling that something was missing. He suddenly realized what it was; the small, shy girl that was always trailing behind Kisumi silently was missing today. He frowned and looked around to make sure she wasn't sitting under a tree, reading a book like she usually was. "Where's Kaori-chan? She always tags along, even though she doesn't like sports."_

 _Kisumi grinned mischievously. "Oh. She stayed home today. She wanted me to tell you that she's sick."_

" _Sick?' Sousuke asked, worried. "What happened?"_

" _Oh, she's not really sick. She was just too embarrassed to come out here and face you." Kisumi paused for a moment, before grinning. "Come on. I'll show you."_

 _Sousuke followed silently when Kisumi dragged him out of the park, and the two boys jogged down the street to Kaori's house. Sousuke was surprised that Kisumi was laughing so happily when Kaori was sick; he was usually a very caring cousin. All the same, he kept silent as Kisumi walked up the steps to the girl's house and knocked on the door. Kaori's mother opened the door and smiled._

" _Kisumi-kun, and Sousuke-kun! Are you boys here to see Kaori? I was wondering why she didn't go out to play with you today. Come in; she's upstairs." Kaori's mother opened the door and let them in. Sousuke smiled at her politely; she often baked cookies for them, but Kisumi ignored his aunt and pulled Sousuke up the stairs to Kaori's room. He knocked on her door loudly._

" _Kaori-chan! It's Kisumi! Open up!" he demanded._

 _Sousuke heard a small noise from within. "Kisumi-kun?" Kaori's muffled voice could be heard as she opened the door reluctantly. "I told you that I didn't want to come play today, I can't-" her eyes widened at the sight of Sousuke and she flushed a deep, tomato red. "S-sousuke-kun?" she squeaked._

 _Sousuke grinned. So this was why Kaori hadn't wanted to come out. Sitting on her face were a pair of thick-rimmed glasses that almost seemed to swallow her entire face. He chuckled, resisting the urge to laugh at the blushing girl, who whipped her newly acquired spectacles off quickly. She stared at her feet, embarrassed._

" _I think they look cute, Kaori-chan," Sousuke told her kindly, while Kisumi laughed in glee. ._

 _Kaori blushed even redder, but a small smile appeared on her lips. "A-arigatou."_

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 **A/N – Phew! That was a long one!**

 **Thanks for your review, Trickster707. For some reason, Sousuke doesn't get much love. I don't know why. Personally I think he's the only Free! Guy who actually had a serious problem in his life, unlike Haru and Rin, who seem to mope about nothing all the time. Not that I don't love them all. :P**

 **Glad you're enjoying it, LilShorty0594. Haha, Sousuke and Kaori do have a thing going on, but it started right before he left for Tokyo so there wasn't much that they could do about it.**

 **Thanks for reading! Do leave a review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Sousuke Yamazaki finished the last powerful stroke of his lap, his hand hitting the wall. He groaned as he stood up. His shoulder was still aching; but he'd managed today's laps without any sharp pain, which was certainly an achievement for him. He reached up to clutch his shoulder and glanced at Rin, who was standing at the edge of a pool with a stopwatch in his hands.

"Well?" Sousuke grunted as he hauled himself out of the pool.

Rin glanced at the stopwatch. "35.6 seconds," he replied with a frown. "That's five seconds over your average, Sousuke. You need to pick up a little."

"I know," Sousuke mumbled through gritted teeth. He sauntered over to the bench nearby and picked up his towel, wiping his face with it before throwing it over his shoulders. Rin followed him, about to speak, when they saw Nitori running towards them looking a little frantic.

Rin frowned. "Nitori, baka. Don't run around the pool."

"Gomen, Rin-senpai!" Nitori apologized breathlessly. "But-but there's a girl out in the lobby! She says that she's Sousuke-senpai's girlfriend! Everyone's gathering around her, you have to come right now!" he insisted. Rin and Sousuke glanced at each other, bewildered as Nitori began to hurry out of the pool area. They followed him, confused.

"I didn't know you had a girlfriend, Sousuke," Rin said quietly, with a smile.

Sousuke sighed, rubbing the towel over his wet hair. "It's probably just Kaori," he mumbled. He suddenly remembered that at her cultural festival last week, she'd asked him if she could come over to Samezuka. She'd also been curiously inquisitive whenever they texted each other, asking about his practice times and when he had a lunch break. Why hadn't he seen this coming?

As they entered the lobby, they saw at least five or six boys gathered in a group. Sure enough, at the center was a smiling Kaori. Her light pink hair was loose about her shoulders and she was wearing a short, flowy skirt that showed off her legs. The boys were all staring at her, open-mouthed.

"Wow, Kaori-senpai, I really like your glasses! They're so cool!" one guy complimented with a grin. Although Sousuke could clearly see that his gaze was on something far below her glasses. Kaori, however, didn't seem to notice. She smiled politely at him.

"Oh- Arigatou, that's so sweet of you!"

"Kaori-san, how long have you and Sousuke-kun been together?" another boy asked eagerly. "I can't believe Sousuke-kun has such a pretty girlfriend!" they were all crowded around her, and Kaori seemed to be a little uncomfortable. Before she could answer the question, however, she was cut off by Mikoshiba Momotarou, who had just joined the group.

"Kaori-senpai! I didn't know that you and Sousuke-kun were dating!" Momotarou cried, looking a little disappointed. "Is Gou-san with you?"

"Uh- gomen, Momotarou-kun, Gou isn't with me. I actually came because I wanted to have lunch with Sousuke-kun," she explained, holding up a small bag that she was carrying. She looked around at all the boys who were still staring at her and chattering excitedly. "Do any of you happen to know where he is…?"

Nobody responded to her question. "Sugoi! You made lunch for Sousuke-kun! Wow, Kaori-san, you're such a good girlfriend!" the boys all nodded and agreed, beginning to whine about how they wished they had a pretty girlfriend who would make lunch and bring it to them at school. Sousuke clenched his fists. He'd had enough and he walked over to break up the group.

Frowning, he pushed his way past a few of the boys. "What's going on here?" Sousuke asked dangerously.

"Sousuke-kun, we were just talking to your girlfriend-"

"Why didn't you tell us that you had such a pretty girlfriend, Sousuke-senpai? Were you hiding her from us?"

"Oi!" Rin yelled loudly, breaking off the excited chatter of the boys that had gathered around the group. He gave them all a stern look. "What is everyone doing out here? Practice isn't over yet! Get back in there and start swimming unless you want to get kicked off the team right before prefecturals! That goes for you too, Mikoshiba!" The words of the captain had a sudden effect; the boys all grumbled and started to hurry back to the pool area. Kaori visibly breathed a sigh of relief; she'd been feeling suffocated.

Sousuke was looking down at her with a raised eyebrow. "What are you doing here?" He was frowning, but his blue-green eyes looked amused.

Kaori flushed slightly. "I just wanted to embarrass you. I guess I didn't expect them to be so overbearing."

Rin looked amused too. He glanced between Sousuke and Kaori with a small smile on his lips. Both of them flushed as their friend scrutinized them. "So," Rin began, looking at Sousuke slyly. "Are congratulations in order?"

Sousuke flushed red and began to mumble something, but Kaori smiled and grabbed onto his arm. It was wet; but she ignored this as she clung onto him, pressing herself against his side. "What do you mean, Rin?" she asked innocently, blinking. "Didn't Sousuke-kun tell you that we were dating? Sousuke! Why wouldn't you say anything to Rin?"

Sousuke sighed as he tried to shake Kaori off weakly. "We're not exactly dating-"

"Sousuke-kun! Don't lie! Didn't you confess to me before you left for Tokyo? And didn't I promise that I would wait for you to come back?" Kaori demanded. Rin was looking more and more amused. Kaori looked up at Sousuke with big eyes. "You-re not… you're not embarrassed of me, are you, Sousuke-kun?" she asked, with a sad pout.

Rin laughed. "You two are perfect for each other. Anyway, go have your date. Don't take too long, Sousuke, we have to finish practice."

Sousuke grunted, as Rin left. Once he was gone, he turned and looked down at Kaori, who was still clinging onto his bare arm. She was looking up at him as she batted her eyelashes innocently. Sousuke resisted the urge to grab her and kiss her pouting lips. Instead, he gave her a frown. "Are you happy now? Everyone at my school believes we're dating too. You got your revenge."

"Hai, I'm happy," Kaori replied with a more genuine smile. "But I really _did_ bring lunch. Do you have some time to come outside and eat? I cooked this morning since I didn't have cram school today. You're not going to let it go to waste, are you?"

"I have time," Sousuke muttered, before looking down at Kaori with a teasing smile. "Will you let me dry off and put on a shirt?" Kaori flushed and released his arm as she suddenly realized her proximity to his bare chest. She stared at his muscles with wide eyes, while Sousuke chuckled. He'd missed how adorable she was. He reached down and ran his fingers through Kaori's loose pink strands. "Go find a place to sit outside, I'll be there in a minute."

Kaori nodded mutely, watching as his broad and chiseled back disappeared in the direction of the locker rooms.

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"I don't know how your diet works," Kaori explained as she began to take neatly-packed boxes of food out of her bag. Sousuke watched in amusement when he realized how much food she had made. She began to set them down on the grass. They were sitting under a tree. "So I brought meat, vegetables, rice and soup. That's okay, right? If there's anything you can't eat, just leave it."

"It's fine," Sousuke replied, taking the chopsticks she offered him. "Wow. You really made all this? It must have taken you a long time. I didn't even know you could cook."

"Hey, I have many talents," Kaori replied, as she began to open the boxes. Tempting aromas began to emerge from them, and Sousuke hurried to help her open the food. His stomach was grumbling after practicing so hard all morning. He dug into the meal and let out a satisfied groan. Kaori smiled as she watched him eat eagerly.

"Well, I suppose one good thing came out of you showing up here unexpectedly," Sousuke replied, swallowing the food happily. It felt amazing to have home-cooked food after spending so long eating in Samezuka's cafeteria. He looked up at Kaori and saw that she was watching him quietly with a smile. "Next time, tell me in advance before you turn up. You can't just walk into an all-boys school looking like that."

"Looking like what?" Kaori asked, teasingly.

"Like… _that_ ," Sousuke finished, with a frown. Kaori was sitting leaning against the base of the tree trunk, and he could see her long legs stretched out in front of her under the skirt. Her hair was fluttering into her face because of the wind. "Anyway, it doesn't matter what you look like. Those boys are desperate enough to hound any girl that steps onto campus. You've seen Mikoshiba."

"I have. He's pretty determined. It's cute."

Sousuke raised an eyebrow. "So that's your type, huh?"

"You know what my type is," Kaori mumbled. She looked down at the box of food in her hand, playing with the chopsticks nervously. Sousuke was looking at her in surprise, but she avoided his gaze. Kaori had hoped to tease him, but today had only ended up making her more flustered. She felt herself blush as Sousuke watched her with his gentle, blue eyes.

"So," he said after a short silence. "No cram school today?"

"I have class in the evening," Kaori replied with a sigh. She poked at her food absent-mindedly. "We'll get our test scores back today. I'm a little nervous. I didn't study properly with all the cultural festival work so I think my rank in class might have gone down. I'll have to work hard this week to catch up and get my score average back to normal."

"What did I tell you about working too hard?" Sousuke asked quietly.

Kaori smiled lightly. "Well, I have to work hard. You've already gotten scouted to a university in Tokyo. I'm not going to let you leave me behind when you go off to university! The entrance exams are in just a few months, so I don't have a lot of time. I have to put in effort, if only to catch up with you."

Sousuke frowned. "You don't need to compete with me."

"Maybe not. But we promised we'd be together once we achieved our dreams," Kaori replied. A light blush was creeping across her face and she forced herself to look up into Sousuke's blue-green eyes. They were watching her calmly. "So I can't be with you unless I achieve my dream, can I?" she said hurriedly.

"Is that how it is?" Sousuke asked quietly. He put his box of food down on the grass and shifted so that he could out a hand on her flushing cheek. He gently stroked his thumb over her face, feeling each soft inch of skin. He could almost hear their hearts thudding. "Why is that necessary? You and I are here, right now. Why do we have to wait for something that won't happen until the future?"

Kaori blinked at him. "Are you-saying-do you want to…?"

"Maybe."

Kaori stared at him. What kind of an answer was that? Although to be honest, her question was equally vague. For a moment, she wasn't even sure what they were talking about. She could only feel Sousuke's hands gently stroking her cheeks. His thumb brushed lightly over her lower lip, and Kaori's breath hitched. She couldn't take it. If he kept teasing her like this, her brain was going to explode. She froze a little, but before either of them could move, a voice yelled out.

"Hey! Look! Sousuke-senpai and his girlfriend are making out under the tree!" a voice jeered happily. Most of the boys from swim practice were just coming out of the swimming pool building for their lunch, and they had spotted Sousuke and Kaori under the tree.

" _Kuso_ ," Sousuke cursed, leaning away from Kaori with a slight flush on his cheeks. He turned and glared at the group of laughing boys, who quietened down a little bit when they noticed their huge teammate glaring daggers at them. Sousuke opened his mouth to yell at them. Before he could, he felt a soft, gentle pressure on his cheek.

Eyes widening, Sousuke turned to look at Kaori in surprise. She was just leaning away from him, looking extremely embarrassed. "Did you just kiss me?" he asked quietly. He could still feel the gentle imprint of her lips on his cheek. Kaori nodded, blushing.

"I was just putting on a show," she replied cheekily.

Sousuke stared at her. At the way her soft pink hair was framing her face and her big eyes were looking at him through her thick glasses. He clenched his fist slightly, lifting one hand and placing it on the back of her head, his fingers sliding through her hair. "Baka," he muttered. "If you're going to put on a show, do it properly." He used his grip on her head to pull her closer, and pressed his lips to hers.

Kaori froze as Sousuke kissed her. His fingers were tangled in her hair and his lips gently caressed hers, pressing her against the tree trunk. Kaori could feel his body heat. Sousuke leaned over her and softly kissed her lower lip, his teeth grazing it gently. Kaori's head was spinning. She lifted her own arms and wrapped them around Sousuke's neck, pulling him closer. The kiss became harder, faster. She could feel years of pent-up emotions and hidden feelings surfacing.

Kaori let out a soft whimper as Sousuke bit her lower lip, taking it between his teeth. He pulled away for a moment. Her hands were still wrapped around his neck, fingers grasping at his skin. Blue-green eyes watched her, full of emotion. "I've missed you," he whispered against her skin. Sousuke leaned forward and kissed her swollen lips again. "Let's not wait for Tokyo. Let's be together now."

"O-okay," Kaori breathed out softly.

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 **A/N – Thanks for your review, LilShorty0594! I'm glad you like them! I hadn't actually intended for Sousuke to be a tease; but it came out that way somehow.**

 **Thanks for reading! De leave a review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Kaori sighed as she handed the bag to her mother. Her parents were putting on their shoes, getting ready to leave for the wedding in Osaka. Kaori's mother had been fretting around the house all day, worried that she'd forgotten something or left something unattended to.

"You'll be careful in the kitchen, won't you?" she asked Kaori nervously. "You won't leave the stove on and go upstairs to study? You'll lock the door at night? Keep your cell phone with you all the time, if you don't pick up the call then I'll get worried-"

"Hai, hai," Kaori grumbled, shoving the small suitcase into her mother's hand. Her father had already gone outside to start the car. "Look, Otousan is already in the car. You're making him late, you need to go now. Have fun."

Kaori's mother hesitated on the doorstep. "I still don't feel good about this. Maybe you should go stay with Kisumi and Hayato after all…"

"Okaasan, you're not serious? I'll end up having to take care of them and they won't let me study. Besides, I'm fine. Is this how you're going to behave when I leave for college in Tokyo?" Kaori demanded, giving her mother a gentle push. "Please, _go!_ I have an exam on Monday, I have a lot of studying to do!"

After a lot of prodding and convincing, Kaori's mother finally consented to leave. She waved quickly as their car disappeared and then closed the door, turning back to an empty house. Kaori breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe she would finally get some studying done tonight. She trudged upstairs and opened her books, getting ready for a full day with her academics when her phone started to ring.

"Moshi moshi," Kaori muttered irritably into the phone.

"Moshi moshi," a low voice replied. Kaori felt her heart leap when she realized it was Sousuke. She smiled and held the phone to her ear more carefully. "Are you busy studying?" he asked quietly. "I hope I didn't disturb you."

"N-no, I wasn't studying," Kaori said a little too quickly.

Sousuke chuckled. " _Shouldn't_ you be studying?"

"Baka. First you scold me for working too hard and now you tell me to study. Make up your mind so I can satisfy you," Kaori replied. She twirled her pencil around in her hands nervously. She and Sousuke hadn't spoken much since they'd kiss at Samezuka the other day. Part of her was feeling extremely self-conscious; she wasn't sure how to act around him anymore. "Don't you have swim practice today? Prefecturals are coming soon."

"Hai, I know," Sousuke replied, amused. "I just had breakfast. No swimming right after you eat, remember? I thought your parents were supposed to leave for Osaka today."

"They just left. I literally had to shove my mother out of the door, she was so unwilling to leave me alone at home. I worry about how she's going to handle it when I leave for college," Kaori replied lightly. "Your parents won't have a problem, right- they're used to it since you go to boarding schools anyway."

"Hmm." Sousuke muttered. There was a short pause. "So, you're probably going to study all day."

Kaori nodded. She noticed a slight change in his tone and bit her lip. Why was he saying it that way? Did he want to spend time with her? Kaori flushed at the thought. "That's what I was planning to do," she replied. "Unless… you have a different idea?"

"If you have time, I want to take you out for dinner."

Kaori smiled. She glanced at the pile of books on her desk and then took a deep breath. There was no way she was going to turn down dinner with Sousuke. Besides, how long could it possibly take? She would have to eat dinner either way… " _Kuso," s_ he cursed, suddenly remembering. "I can't tonight. Kisumi-kun has a basketball game so he asked me to babysit his brother."

Sousuke blinked. "Kisumi, huh? That's a name I haven't heard in a while. How's he doing?"

"As infuriating as always," Kaori mumbled.

"You must be joking. You used to follow him around like a puppy's tail when we were kids. You didn't stop until he went to a different middle school," Sousuke pointed out with a smile. He wasn't complaining, though. Had it not been for Kisumi, he would never have met Kaori. "But I didn't know Kisumi had a brother."

"Hayato," Kaori confirmed with a nod. "He's the most a _dorable_ little boy you will ever meet. He's really quiet and well-behaved and he adores Kisumi."

Sousuke chuckled. "Now, where have I seen those qualities before…?"

"Baka, shut up. But we can have dinner some other time, right? Or how about lunch tomorrow? I can bring food over to your school again!" Kaori suggested eagerly.

"No," Sousuke replied bluntly.

"What? Why?" she pouted.

"Because I don't like sharing your attention with the other stupid idiots on the swim team," Sousuke muttered. "And I actually can't tomorrow afternoon. There's a special training session, we uh, have to determine who competes in which events at prefecturals. Gomen."

"Oh," Kaori mumbled.

Sousuke noticed the disappointment in her tone. "What's wrong?"

"I guess I never realized how hard it would be to find time for us to meet. I mean, we're both so busy. Between school and your swimming and my cram school classes… are you sure it isn't going to be too hard? It won't be easy to fit each other into our schedules and Samezuka is so far from my school."

"…Kaori, if you _really_ want to see me, then I'll blow off practice."

"See, I don't want that!" Kaori cried. "You shouldn't have to compromise on swimming just to see me. You need to stay in shape, otherwise how will you go to your college in Tokyo next year? And I have to prepare for my entrance exams in a few months. I never planned for you to come back here and distract me!" she said with as nervous laugh.

Sousuke was silent for a moment. "Do you really think I'm distracting you?" he asked quietly.

Kaori's eyes widened. Had she hurt his feelings? "What? No, I didn't mean it like that. I just thought…"

"Your entrance exams come first. Go study, Kaori," Sousuke told her quietly. Kaori opened her mouth to protest, but he had already hung up. She sighed and looked down at her phone, upset. What had she been thinking? Why did she say that to him?

 _Damn it._

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" _Why is everything red?"_

 _Kisumi, Sousuke and Rin were walking past the stores on their way home from the park. The stores were all decorated in pink and red shades, with hearts and romantic decorations everywhere. Rin was looking around somewhat excitedly, while Sousuke rolled his eyes._

" _It's Valentine's Day tomorrow," he explained simply, pointing to a sign in one of the stores. The date was clearly displayed, along with details of a sale on chocolates and flowers. Kisumi grinned and stopped near the window, admiring a huge box of chocolates._

 _Rin turned and looked at his friends sheepishly. "Do you think anyone will give us chocolates tomorrow?"_

" _Kisumi will get plenty," Sousuke muttered. The slim, pink-haired boy was the most popular with the girls in their school. Even though they were only in their last year of elementary school, almost all the girls in their class had a crush on Kisumi. It was probably because he was so friendly and nice to them all the time. "He talks to a lot of girls. More than you and I do, at least."_

 _Rin nodded thoughtfully. "You're right. Kisumi-kun will get a lot of chocolates. Do you think we will? My sister will probably make chocolates for me, but that's not the same, is it?"_

 _Sousuke shrugged. "I don't know. Does it matter? If you want chocolates, you can just buy them. They're on sale anyway."_

" _It's not the same! It would be nice to get them as a gift!"_

" _I don't really care." Sousuke hitched his backpack up on his back and tugged on Kisumi's sleeve to pull him away from the display window and force him to keep walking. The three boys continued down the street. Sousuke glanced at Rin, who was looking thoughtful. He raised an eyebrow. "What are you thinking so hard about, Rin?"_

 _Rin turned and grinned at Sousuke. "I bet I'll get more chocolates than you!"_

 _Sousuke's eyes widened. "Eh?"_

" _We'll make it a competition! Whoever gets less chocolates by the end of the day tomorrow, has to do the other's homework for a week! What do you say, Sousuke? Are you going to turn down a challenge?"_

 _Sousuke's eyes flashed. "Never!"_

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 _Kaori took a deep breath as she stood near the entrance to the classroom, watching Rin and Sousuke talking near the window. Her hands were shaking a little. She silently approached the two boys but neither of them noticed her. Rin seemed to be showing Sousuke something._

" _See?" Rin asked with a grin. He held up two small boxes. "I got two so far and you've got none. This one Gou-chan gave me this morning, and the other one was given to me by Hikari-san, the girl who sits beside me in class. You're losing, Sousuke! Get ready to do my homework!"_

 _Sousuke frowned. "The one from your sister doesn't count. It's not my fault I don't have a sister."_

 _Rin rolled his eyes. "Fine. I won't count that one. I still have one more than you!"_

 _Kaori approached the two boys, her cheeks a little red. They both continued their conversation, barely noticing her. Sousuke was the first to see the small girl waiting quietly behind them, a light tinge on her cheeks. He smiled, noticing that she looked nervous. "Kaori-chan! What are you doing in our class?" Sousuke asked kindly._

 _Rin whirled around to look at her, and then noticed the chocolate in her trembling hands. He grinned triumphantly and laughed at Sousuke. "Ha! Kaori-chan got me chocolate too! There's no way you can recover after this, Sousuke!"_

" _T-they're for both of you," Kaori explained. She quickly handed Rin one box, and then gave the other one to Sousuke. She was avoiding both of their gazes. "I-I made them myself. Okaasan was teaching me how to do it the other day and I had some left over after making it for Kisumi-kun."_

 _Sousuke flushed a little bit as he took the chocolate from Kaori. Even though she'd given it to Rin and her cousin as well, he still felt a little embarrassed that Kaori had thought of him on Valentine's Day. Before he could say anything, Rin had already broken open the box and taken a good-sized bite from his. "Sugoi! Kaori-chan, this is amazing!" Rin replied with a big grin. "Thanks!"_

 _Kaori flushed. "I-I'm glad you liked it." She looked up and risked a glance at Sousuke._

" _Arigatou, Kaori-chan," Sousuke replied with a smile._

" _Y-you're welcome," Kaori replied. Then she bit her lip and hurried out of the class, her pink ponytails swinging behind her as the bell rang for the next class._

 _At the end of the day, Sousuke followed Rin out of their classroom. He'd still only received the one chocolate from Kaori, while Rin had three now. Sousuke held the small chocolate box in his hand, hesitating to open it. Rin was already munching on his. He turned and looked at Sousuke, chocolate staining the corner of his grinning mouth. "I won the competition!" he declared._

" _Hai, hai," Sousuke muttered. As they walked out of the school building, he slowly opened the box which Kaori had given him and peeked inside. Eyes widening, he glanced at his friend. "Rin… the chocolate which Kaori gave you. What shape was it in?"_

 _Rin raised an eyebrow. "Hmm?" he glanced at the lump of chocolate he was munching on. It was no longer in any recognizable shape. "Oh it was in a raindrop shape. She probably meant it to signify water. You know, since we swim a lot. Why, did she give you something different?"_

 _Sousuke glanced down at the small heart-shaped chocolate lying in his box and then quickly closed it. His heartbeat was thudding. "No, mine is the same. Do you think Kaori really thought it through or did she make random shapes based on whatever she had?"_

" _Kaori seems like the kind of person to really think it through. She was so nervous while giving it to us."_

 _Sousuke grinned. Even though he'd lost the competition, it still felt like he'd won._

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Kaori had tried calling Sousuke back that day, but he hadn't answered. He'd ignored her calls twice and on the third try, he simply sent her a text message.

 _Sousuke: Kaori, stop calling. You should be studying. You have a test on Monday._

Kaori frowned as she glanced down at the text. Why was he acting like this? He was the one who had asked her out to dinner and wanted to spend time. Now he wouldn't even take her calls? Frowning, she texted him back quickly.

 _Kaori: I can't study when you're mad at me._

 _Sousuke: I'm not mad._

 _Kaori: Really? Tell me the truth._

 _Sousuke: I promise. I'm not mad. I have swim practice now. Go study. I love you._

Kaori flushed slightly at the last message. He hadn't said that since middle school. Relieved, she lifted her pen and opened her books, ready to start studying again. Then she paused for a moment and snatched up her phone, quickly texting him back.

 _Kaori: I love you too. 3_

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Kaori groaned as she heard her phone ring again. It was Sunday afternoon and her head was aching. She'd been studying all day, determined to ace her mock exam on Monday. Except her mother kept calling to make sure she was okay and that she'd eaten. Kaori sighed as she picked up the phone. She had to have the clingiest parents ever.

"I told you, I already ate lunch! I made rice, I didn't leave the stove on and the house hasn't burned down yet. I _know_ how to cook just fine!" Kaori cried into the phone, exasperated. She was surprised when she heard a slightly amused male voice on the other end of the line.

"That's… good to know, I suppose," the male voice replied with a chuckle.

Kaori flushed. "Who-who's this?"

"Moshi mosh, Kaori-chan. It's Rin."

"Oh. Gomen, Rin-kun. I thought you were my mother," Kaori mumbled. She was relieved that it was just Rin and not somebody who would make more fun of her. Kisumi would never have let her forget it. "Uh, what can I do for you?" she asked quickly.

"Sousuke borrowed my blue goggles the other day. I need them now for practice, but I can't find them anywhere in the dorm room. My other pair are with Nitori- damn it, why does everyone borrow my goggles?" Rin grumbled. Kaori could hear him moving things around in the room. "Well? Where are they?"

"How am I supposed to know? I've never seen your goggles."

"I know, baka. Give the phone to Sousuke. He's not answering his," Rin replied with a sigh.

Kaori blinked. "Sousuke's not with me."

"He isn't? He left for a lunch date with you over an hour ago. He should have reached by now, shouldn't he?" Rin asked.

Kaori frowned. "What? He told me that you had a special training session today. Something about picking events for prefecturals. That's why he couldn't make lunch." Kaori replied. She frowned. "Are you sure he's not answering his phone? Did you try properly?"

"Of course, I called him thrice," Rin replied, suddenly sounding concerned. "And that training session was last week. I don't know why he would tell you that it was today. Damn it, where it he, then?"

"… I have no clue. Rin, did he lie?" Kaori asked slowly.

Rin hesitated. "I don't know. Let's not jump to conclusions. Call me if he turns up, okay?"

Kaori nodded, worried.

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 **A/N – Thanks so much to all who read! I'm glad you like it! Do leave more reviews, they really keep me motivated to write.**

 **I have two plot points in mind for this story and I can't make up my mind. So maybe you guys can choose. It all centers on when Kaori finds out about Sousuke's injury. This could be either before, or after her entrance exam. So what do you think? Should Kaori find out before her entrance exam, or after?**

 **Also want to know if I should keep doing more flashbacks or if they're getting boring now.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Kaori bit her lip as she handed in her mock exam paper. It had certainly gone better than the last few exams. She noticed the disappointed faces of her classmates and realized that she must have done better than she thought, if everyone else found it so difficult. A little relieved, she hurried out of the building.

"Kaori-chan!" a voice called after her. Kaori whirled around to see one of her classmates running up to her. Mika seemed a little upset. "Hey, how was your paper? Mine was awful, what was even up with those history questions, huh?"

Kaori nodded. "Hai, it was a pretty difficult paper."

"Well, _you_ always manage to do well so I suppose it doesn't matter," Mika teased. "A few of us are going out right now to get coffee and exchange notes. Do you want to join us?"

"Gomen'nasai, I can't. My boyfriend's actually waiting for me." Kaori flushed as she said it. It was the first time she had actually called Sousuke her boyfriend on a serious note. She realized that she liked the way it sounded. _My boyfriend. Sousuke._ It felt so different. Even though they'd confessed to each other back in middle school, they'd never quite used words like that. Some tiny possessive part of Kaori was pleased.

Mika laughed. "Jeez, you're blushing. Must be a new boyfriend. Wait… is that him? _Wow_ ," she mumbled, as Sousuke came walking over. Kaori whirled around and smiled. She had to admit that with his tall, hulking figure and strikingly deep eyes, he was quite the sight. "I'll leave you alone. Come with us next week, okay?" Mika said with a grin, walking away.

Sousuke came up to Kaori and gave her a small smile. "Hey. How was your test?"

Kaori grinned and hitched her bag up on one shoulder, before slipping her other arm into his. His skin was cool and he smelled like chlorine. She could tell that he'd recently gotten out of the pool. Sousuke seemed a little surprised, but he let her cling onto his arm. "My test was great. What makes it even better is that everyone else's was terrible," Kaori replied cheerfully.

Sousuke chuckled. "You have an evil side, you know that?"

She nodded. "Well, it's a competitive exam. No true friendships are formed in a place like this. But enough about me. How are you? What did you do all day yesterday?" she asked. Although the question was simple, Kaori's heart was thudding.

Sousuke glanced down at her. "I told you, we had a training session. I was swimming all day."

Kaori's face fell. _He's lying._

The previous day, Sousuke hadn't answered his phone for quite some time. It was all that Rin could do to keep Kaori from panicking and wondering if he was all right. A few hours later, though, Sousuke had casually gone back to school. Rin had called Kaori around 7 pm.

" _Rin-kun?" Kaori demanded. "What happened, did you find Sousuke?"_

" _Yeah, he came back to campus," Rin replied slowly._

 _Kaori breathed a sigh of relief. At least he was safe. "Thank goodness. Where was he all evening? Why didn't he answer his phone? He'd better have a good explanation for disappearing like that!"_

" _Kaori-chan." Rin spoke slowly. "I asked him where he was. He told me that he was with you."_

" _What?"_

" _Yeah. Look, I don't really want to make this an issue. It's none of my business where he went. Maybe he went to deal with some stuff regarding his college admission and didn't want to rub it in our faces that we haven't gotten admission anywhere yet."_

 _Kaori hesitated. "I mean. Maybe, but…"_

" _All the same, if you want to confront him, that's fine. Look, I have to go, I have some work to do. Bye."_

"A training session," Kaori repeated slowly. Her arm was still clutching Sousuke's, but it was difficult to maintain the grip. She took a deep breath and looked up at him. He was looking down at her as he always did, his teal eyes fixed on her with a small smile on his lips. Kaori doubted herself for a minute. Was she making too big a deal out of this? "Right. Prefecturals are coming up. What events are you participating in?"

"Just the medley relay," Sousuke replied. They crossed the street together, Sousuke pausing to take Kaori's hand firmly in his as they did so. Kaori flushed a little. Sometimes it was the tiniest things he did that made her heart leap. She barely heard what he said next, she was too focused on the feeling of his rough hand in hers. "…you come watch?"

Kaori blinked at him. "The prefecturals?"

Sousuke nodded with a smirk. "Hai. Weren't you listening?"

"Gomen. Of course I'll come. I mean, I have cram school on Sunday but I can blow it off for one day, right?" Kaori replied with a shrug. Sousuke's expression tightened a little.

"Kaori-chan, if you have class…"

Kaori sighed. "Sousuke, don't start that again. I'm not an idiot. Just because I now have a gorgeous and sweet and sensitive boyfriend doesn't mean that I'm going to get distracted from my studies, okay? I'm the one preparing for the exam, I'll decide whether or not it's okay for me to miss class. And this Sunday, it's okay. If it wasn't, I would tell you."

Sousuke bit his lip. They had reached the familiar noodle shop that they usually sat and ate at; Kaori followed Sousuke inside the cozy and noisy restaurant. "I know," he said quietly. "Fine. I just want to be sure that I'm not taking up time that should be spent preparing for your entrance exam."

Kaori smiled and slid into the booth beside him. She leaned up to peck Sousuke on the cheek quickly, blushing as she did so. "Don't worry. I wouldn't let you do that even if you tried. I refuse to let you go to Tokyo alone. When you go to college, I'm coming with you."

Sousuke stiffened. "Okay. As long as you have your priorities straight," he muttered.

Kaori blinked. "Are you serious? I've been dreaming about both of us going to study in Tokyo ever since you left. There's so much we can do together, unlike this stupid town. We'll go to all the sightseeing places and historical museums, and shopping malls…"

Sousuke was silent. He was looking down at the table quietly, his smile a little forced. "Hmm."

"Oye, don't look so upset. I promise I won't drag you around museums," Kaori joked. She glanced at the menu that the waiter had just handed her. "Ooh! Let's try something new this time. Have you ever tried their miso ramen? Let's split one today."

Sousuke raised an eyebrow. "Why do we have to split it? I can afford two."

Kaori whacked him lightly with the menu, noticing that his mouth was still a little stiff. His smile had disappeared ever since she'd mentioned Tokyo. In fact, that wasn't the first time it had happened. Every time she said something about Tokyo, or rather, about the future in general, Sousuke seemed to stiffen. Kaori cleared her throat and tried to push the thought out of her mind. He had never been a very smiley person in the first place. She was just overreacting. "Baka. Sharing a dish is supposed to be romantic. Not that you would know anything about that."

"There's nothing romantic about not getting enough to eat," Sousuke replied, looking slightly amused. "Besides, what would you know about romance? Have you ever had a boyfriend before?"

"Shut up," Kaori mumbled. "I said I'd wait for you, didn't I? How can you ask me that? Why, did you date any girls at Tokitsu?" she asked nervously.

"It was an all-boys school. Although we did have a very pretty nurse working in the infirmary…" Sousuke said with a playful smile. Kaori frowned and hit him with the menu again, while he flinched slightly. "Oye. Be careful with that thing. I'm not going to pay if you damage the restaurant's stuff."

Kaori pouted as she put the menu back on the table. "You've become so mean, Sousuke."

He chuckled and leaned over to gently kiss her pouting lips. Her cheeks were pink and he kissed her cheek too, gently, until they both heard someone clearing their throat. A waiter was standing at their table, looking slightly annoyed. Sousuke rubbed the back of his neck and glanced at the menu. "Uh, two miso ramen, please," he said quickly.

The waiter scribbled down the order and left, while Sousuke placed a hand on Kaori's cheek, turning her to face him as he kissed her again. "Don't worry," he whispered against her lips. "We'll split them both."

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Kaori bit her lip as she looked down at the pile of requests and budget demands from the various clubs. She resisted the urge to throw something at the wall. Did she really have to sit and read through all these stupid requests before passing them over to the teachers?

"You look tense, Kaori-san," said one of the other student council members. Ayaka came and sat next to Kaori, glancing at the pile of request sheets on her desk. She raised an eyebrow. "Wow. The Basketball club wants a budget increase so they can buy imported oranges for freshly squeezed juice?" she demanded.

Kaori frowned and set the slip onto the pile of requests that were rejected. "This is torture. I can't believe I'm staying behind in school for this. The Art Club wants a _fog machine_ and they haven't even mentioned what they're going to do with it. How am I supposed to get requests like these approved from the teachers? I have so many better things I could be doing."

Ayaka smiled. "Hai. Word around school is that you're dating a hot swimmer from Samezuka. Is it true? I never thought you would be so wild, Kaori-san. You seem so responsible and studious."

Kaori flushed. "It's not like that. We were childhood friends. And it's true; we barely get any time to meet between my work and his swimming tournament coming up. Eto… do you have a boyfriend, Ayaka-san?"

Ayaka nodded happily. "Yup! We've been dating for two years."

Kaori hesitated. "Has he ever lied to you?"

"About what?"

"I don't know. Little things. Like about where he is?"

Ayaka shrugged. "Maybe in the beginning. There were some friends of his I didn't like, so he used to lie to me whenever he went to hang out with them. But I found out. He eventually promised to tell me the truth as long as I didn't get mad when he spent time with them. I realized that I shouldn't get upset about who he was friends with, as long as _he_ stayed a good person. Why? Has your boyfriend been lying to you, Kaori-san?"

Kaori flushed and cleared her throat. "Well, kind of. He told me once that he had swim practice when he didn't. And it wasn't to spend time with his friends, because even _they_ didn't know where he really was. But it's okay, right? Maybe he just wanted some time alone."

Ayaka shrugged. "Maybe. I mean, you don't… do you suspect him of being unfaithful?"

Kaori's eyes widened. It hadn't even occurred to her that Sousuke could be unfaithful. The idea was almost absurd and she shook her head. "N-no way. I've known him for a long time, he would _never_ do that. He's a really kind-hearted person. I trust him to be honest with me."

Ayaka shrugged. "If you know that he wouldn't lie to you, then let it be. Don't make a deal unless something bigger happens. _Kuso_ , look at the time. I have to get to my club meeting. Bye, Kaori-san! I hope things work out with your boyfriend!" Ayaka replied, gathering her things and hurrying out of the room. Kaori was left alone with a pile of absurd budget requests and her own raging thoughts.

 _She's right. I should give Sousuke his privacy. Besides, I know he would never lie to me,_ Kaori thought quietly. But at the same time, she knew it was wrong. It wasn't as though Sousuke had _never_ lied to her. He had admitted to lying about rigging her middle school election. And he had maintained that lie for years. What was to say that he couldn't lie about other things as well? And he'd been acting so odd lately whenever she mentioned Tokyo and college.

Kaori shook her head and reached for another request sheet. It was stupid. Sousuke had lied to _help_ her back then. Besides, Ayaka was right. Unless she had something more concrete to go on, she shouldn't worry herself about this. Kaori had enough on her mind.

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"Sousuke-senpai, _please!"_

Sousuke clenched his fists as he reached for his towel. He'd just gotten out of the pool and now this little bugger was annoying him again. He resisted the urge to reach down and punch him. It would just be an unnecessary strain on his shoulder. Instead, he turned around and gave him a sharp look. "What now, Mikoshiba?"

Momotarou pouted. "Please help me get a girlfriend!" he cried.

Sousuke wiped his face with the towel, taking a deep breath. His already tense nerves were about to explode. He looked down at the orange-haired boy who was watching him hopefully. "Shouldn't you be practicing? You're against Tachibana Makoto in the backstroke. He's tough competition. Go practice and stop worrying about girls."

"But Sousuke-senpai! I need your help! You're my role model! Girls don't like guys on the swim team; you're the only swimmer I know with a really pretty girlfriend! Please teach me your secret to success!" he cried loudly, bowing before him with respect. Sousuke sighed, just as Rin came walking up to them with a frown.

"Oye, what are you bothering Sousuke for?" Rin asked Momotarou sternly. "He might be one of the best butterfly swimmers in the country, but his backstroke is terrible. Go practice with Uozumi; his times are looking far better than yours, Mikoshiba."

"It's not backstroke he wants help with," Sousuke explained.

Momotarou turned and looked at Rin with pleading eyes. "Please, Rin-senpai! Convince Sousuke-senpai to teach me his secret technique of wooing girls! I want to learn! How do I make pretty girls like me? What's the technique?"

"You could stop trying so hard," Rin muttered. "Look. Go practice now. At prefecturals, I'll let you stay and watch the women's swimming events once we're done, okay?"

Momotarou's eyes widened. "Really?"

" _Yes._ Go."

He grinned happily and rushed off to finish his laps. He seemed to have completely forgotten that nobody had given him the advice he wanted. Once he was gone, Rin turned and grinned at Sousuke. "I'm curious. What _is_ your secret?" Rin teased.

"Shut up," Sousuke muttered. He tossed the towel down on a chair and frowned. "You could get a girlfriend if you wanted to. Although I wouldn't advise it now, at such a critical point in your career. How are the scouting calls going? Did you get any more?"

Rin shrugged. "One or two. I'm not ready to choose yet. Unlike you, I haven't gotten one so amazing that I can relax and spend time messing around. Speaking of which, you've been cutting on practice to go see Kaori-chan a lot lately. Are you sure travelling all the way to Iwatobi isn't tiring you out too much? I'm surprised she asks you to come despite knowing you have swim practice."

Sousuke shook his head. "She doesn't know I've been skipping practice. I told her that I've changed my practice timings to suit her schedule. And I have; I've been making up for the practice at night."

Rin frowned. "Is that a good idea, Sousuke? You _just_ said that you wouldn't advise getting a girlfriend at such a critical point in my career. Should you be compromising on your training so much? You guys will be together once you both go to study in Tokyo at the end of the year anyway."

Sousuke stiffened. "How do I know that we'll both be going to Tokyo? This might be the last chance we both have to live so nearby. Maybe we'll end up in different cities once this year ends."

"You don't believe Kaori will crack the exam for the University of Tokyo?" Rin asked in surprise.

Sousuke frowned. "I don't doubt her abilities. But the future isn't exactly certain right now."

"I guess…" Rin muttered. He sighed. "Well, as long as your times are consistent, I can't really order you do otherwise, huh? Go see your girlfriend as often as you want; but when you're here, your ass better be in that swimming pool."

Sousuke rolled his eyes. "Yes, captain."

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 **A/N – Thanks for reading and for the reviews! I'm glad you guys like the flashbacks. I know this chapter doesn't really have one, but I do have more written for future chapters! Enjoy!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

The morning of the medley relay at prefecturals, Kaori was waiting outside the stadium. She frowned and glanced at her watch, wondering what was taking so long. She and Gou had arrived almost twenty minutes ago but the Samezuka team was yet to turn up.

"I hope they're not going to be late," Kaori mumbled. Gou, who was standing next to her, gave her a reassuring smile. They had travelled all the way till the stadium together, along with Ama-chan sensei and Coach Sasabe.

"Don't worry, Kaori-chan! My brother would never be late to a tournament. Besides, he's really excited about swimming the relay today, so I'm sure they'll get here." Gou frowned and looked at the time herself. "Now on the other hand, the Iwatobi team… those boys I don't trust as much."

Kaori smiled as she saw a large bus pull into the parking lot. She sighed in relief when a group of boys in Samezuka jackets began to descend from it. Kaori hurried over to it, waiting a little distance from the door of the bus as the students began to descend. Momotarou was one of the first people to get down and he spotted Kaori instantly.

"Kaori-senpai!" Momotarou greeted her happily. "Are you here to watch the relay?"

Kaori nodded and smiled politely at the orange-haired boy. "Hai. I really wanted to see Sousuke-kun swim. Are you swimming the medley relay too, Mikoshiba-kun? I hope you guys win!"

Momotarou's expression suddenly fell and he trudged away, grumbling to himself incoherently. Kaori frowned as she watched him sulk, wondering what she had said to offend the boy. As she watched him mope, however, she didn't notice that Sousuke and Rin had come up to her. "Hey. You're here early. Have you been waiting long?" Sousuke asked Kaori with a small smile.

Kaori beamed and reached up to hug Sousuke quickly. He put one hand on her waist as the small, pink-haired girl struggled to reach up and put her arms around his shoulders. He chuckled as she released him quickly and stumbled back. "You finally came! I've been waiting since forever! How are you feeling?" she asked eagerly.

"I'm fine," Sousuke replied.

"You seem more excited than Sousuke, Kaori-chan," Rin commented lightly. The little pink-haired girl was bouncing on her feet, but she calmed down when he spoke. Kaori narrowed her eyes at him and put her hand on her hips.

"Rin. I spent two hours on a bus this morning to get here, while my ass ached and your sister ranted about nothing but abs and biceps. If you don't win after all the efforts I took to get here, you will have a very angry Kaori on your hands," she threatened. Although the fact that she was about a head shorter than him, and her glasses were sliding down her nose, didn't help.

Rin raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I'm so scared," he replied with a grin. Then he turned around to face his teammates. "All right! Everyone, get inside!"

Kaori watched as all the Samezuka swimmers followed Rin into the building. She noticed Momotarou still sulking, and pointed him out to Sousuke. "Why is he so upset?" Kaori asked.

"He just wants a girlfriend to watch him swim," Sousuke replied with a sigh. "Don't worry about him, he'll be fine. I'm more concerned about Rin's ability to keep him away from Gou-chan." Sousuke glanced down at Kaori and smiled. "Thank you for coming."

Kaori smiled. "Why wouldn't I? I love watching you swim. You'll let me come watch your tournaments even when we're in Tokyo, right?" she asked.

Sousuke cleared his throat. "Yeah, of course."

Kaori nodded, just as she spotted the Iwatobi boys wearing their school jackets, and going up to the auditorium entrance. Kaori smiled and waved at them, calling out their names. "Makoto-kun! Haruka-kun! Good luck for today!" she yelled out. They smiled (well, Makoto did) and waved back at her, as Sousuke slipped his arm around Kaori's waist and pulled her into his side. He leaned down so his lips were near her ear.

"Don't wish my competitors luck in front of me," he growled softly.

Kaori flushed as Sousuke pulled her closer. She placed her hands on his shoulders and looked up at his teasing blue-green eyes with a grin. "I don't think it matters. No amount of luck will help them against you, now will it?" Kaori whispered, as she slowly wrapped her arms around his neck.

"That's right," Sousuke muttered possessively.

"All the same, if you're feeling jealous…" Kaori slid her fingers into his short hair and pulled his head down so she could place a soft kiss on his lips. Sousuke closed his eyes as Kaori kissed him slowly. She could feel his strong arms around her waist, holding her up as she gently pressed her lips to his. "Good luck, Sousuke," Kaori whispered, before giving him another quick peck on the cheek. "Ganbatte."

Sousuke smiled, releasing her before turning to leave. Kaori paused for a moment. For some reason, the image of Sousuke glaring at Haruka Nanase came to mind. She called after him. "Sousuke!"

Sousuke turned around. "What?"

"Don't… don't make this a personal thing. Just have fun, okay?" she said quietly.

Sousuke gave her a long, expressionless look before turning back and walking into the stadium.

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Kaori cheered loudly along with the rest of the Samezuka team, when the display on the board showed that they'd won the relay. Her throat was hoarse, and she smiled when she watched the Samezuka team high-five each other happily. They'd won! Kaori grinned as all the boys sitting near her erupted in cheers. The Iwatobi team seemed too shocked to respond, and Kaori felt a sudden pity for them. She knew they'd been working hard as well.

Kaori grabbed her things and hurried down so that she could meet Sousuke once he came out of the locker room. She was waiting, leaning against the wall outside when Momotarou emerged from the locker room. His orange hair was dripping wet and he had a huge grin on his face. Kaori smiled at the excited boy and waved to him.

"Momotarou-kun! You were really amazing there, congratulations!" she told him.

Momotarou beamed at the sight of her and hurried over, a spring in his step. "Kaori-senpai! Were you watching? Wasn't it amazing! I can't believe my brother wasn't here too see this! My first victory after I started at Samezuka…"

"I'm sure everyone will tell him about it," Kaori replied kindly.

"Are you waiting for Sousuke-senpai?" he asked.

Kaori nodded. "Hai. I wanted to congratulate him. I'm sure this win meant a lot. What's wrong, why do you look so disappointed, Momotarou-kun?" Kaori asked, as the orange-haired boy's face drooped miserably.

"I wish I had a girlfriend who would come watch my tournaments," he grumbled. He looked up at Kaori eagerly. "Ne, Kaori-senpai! What is it about Sousuke-senpai that you find attractive? I mean, why did you start liking him? Is it because he's so talented?" Momo asked curiously.

Kaori flushed. _Why did she like Sousuke?_ "I… I don't know," she said nervously. "Why do you asl?"

"I want to know what girls find attractive in guys!"

"I suppose it depends from person to person, really…"

"Kaori-senpai! Please! You have to help me, please teach me how to find a girlfriend! Tell me how Sousuke-senpai wooed you! I want a relationship like yours!" Momo pleaded. He went down on his knees in front of Kaori and clasped his hands together in a pleading gesture. Shocked, Kaori hurriedly stepped away from him and backed against the wall. "Please, please, Kaori-senpai, you have to!"

"Oye."

The voice came from the entrance to the lockers and Kaori breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Sousuke emerge. As cute as Momotarou was, he was a little too much for her to handle. Sousuke walked over, his blue-green eyes looking at Momo harshly. Momo blinked. "Sousuke-senpai! I was just-"

"I don't care. Get lost," Sousuke replied, using one hand to grab the back of Momo's neck and pull him up from the floor. Momotarou's head drooped and he mumbled an apology, trudging away with a frown. As he was halfway down the corridor, Sousuke called after him. "Oye. Momotarou."

Momo looked up hopefully. "Hai, Sousuke-senpai?"

"Good swimming today," Sousuke replied simply. Momo grinned and hurried away, trying to catch up with his other teammates. Kaori watched him leave, before turning to look at Sousuke. His gaze was fixed on the ground and his shoulders were stiff. Kaori gently placed a hand on his arm.

"Sousuke? Are you okay?" she asked.

Sousuke looked up quickly and forced a smile. "Of course."

"You were amazing today," Kaori replied with a grin. She slid her hand down into his and entwined their fingers together. "I haven't seen you and Rin swim with so much passion since we were kids. I really enjoyed it. I can't wait to see the regionals."

Sousuke stiffened. "Regionals? You can't come to those."

Kaori frowned. "Why not?"

"It's bad enough that you missed cram school today to come here. Taking a trip to regionals and back would take two full days at least. You can't afford to take time like that off just before your exams. You need to focus, Kaori," Sousuke replied seriously. His eyes looked down at her sharply. "Don't you care about going to Tokyo?"

Kaori released his arm and glared at him. "Why do you keep saying things like that?"

"Because you don't seem to be focusing on your studies!"

"My studies are going fine!" Kaori snapped. "Will you stop worrying about them?"

"I am worried about them! Don't get distracted during a crucial time like this!"

Kaori frowned, feeling a sudden anger bubble up inside of her. She'd come all the way here to prefecturals just because _he_ had asked her to, and now he was scolding her for coming? Couldn't he at least act happy that she was here? He'd been perfectly fine earlier when he saw her before the relay! Kaori took a deep, shuddering breath. "There's something wrong with you," she said quietly.

Sousuke flinched. "What?"

"There's something wrong with you," Kaori replied firmly. Behind her thick glasses, her purple eyes were glowing. "You never used to act like this. You never scolded me for not studying, you never used to lose your temper this way. For god's sake, you just won a relay with your best friend! What is your problem?"

"I don't have any problems," Sousuke replied. "I just want you to study."

"I _know_ that I have to study!" Kaori exploded at him. "I don't need you to keep nagging me about it, you're not my mother. For god's sake, even she doesn't nag me this much! I am not a child! I know how to handle my time and my responsibilities, why can't you trust me to do that?"

"Because you keep doing stupid things like wasting time coming to my swimming competitions!"

"You _asked m_ e to come!"

"You should have said no!"

Kaori stared at him in bewilderment. "Do you even know how absurd you sound right now?" she demanded. She took a deep breath. "Sousuke, I used to be a stupid, quiet little girl who followed you, and Rin, and Kisumi around like a tail. But I'm not like that anymore. I have my own mind. I am a responsible, independent woman and I deserve to be treated like one. So tell me what your problem is. Why do you get mad at the thought of me not studying?"

Sousuke looked down at her in shock. "I do respect you. I just want to be sure that you go to Tokyo."

"And you don't trust that I'm capable of doing that?" Kaori demanded. Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open a little. "Is _that_ it? You don't believe that I can make it through the exam? You don't think I'll get into my dream college?"

Sousuke closed his eyes and pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose. "Don't say that. That's not true."

"Then why are you acting this way? Why can't you just be like you used to?" Kaori cried.

"Maybe I'm not the same person I used to be!" Sousuke yelled. "Maybe I've changed! Did you ever consider that? Maybe I can't be the same Sousuke you fell in love with in middle school!"

Kaori flinched when he yelled, and pressed her back against the wall. She could feel tears forming in her eyes as she looked at Sousuke's furious expression. Why was he doing this? Her lips trembled as she spoke. "You don't need to be the same Sousuke you were in middle school," Kaori replied shakily. "Just don't be the one you are now." Her fingers trembled as she backed away from him slowly and started to walk down the corridor.

Sousuke stared after her. He took a deep breath and clenched his fist, trying to control his voice. "Damn it. Kaori, please don't leave."

Kaori shook her head. "Why shouldn't I? You want me to study, don't you? Fine. I'm going home to study. Go to hell, Sousuke," she replied sharply, before hurrying down the corridor. Sousuke watched her leave, his clenched fist trembling in anger. What was he doing? Why was he hurting Kaori? He let out a loud, agonized yell and punched the wall in anger. It sent a shocking pain, starting from his knuckles, which then ended in his injured shoulder. Sousuke held back tears of pain as he leaned against the wall and clutched his arm.

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 **A/N – Thanks so much for reading and your reviews! I'm really enjoying writing this. Drama will ensue from this point onwards.**

 **Enjoy!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Kaori frowned and leaned back in her bad. She'd stayed awake for nights after the prefecturals, finishing all her pending work in a sudden fit of anger towards Sousuke. Now she was completely up-to-date on everything; school, cram school, Student Council work… and yet, she couldn't sleep. Whenever she closed her eyes, she saw Sousuke's kind blue-green eyes flashing at her in anger at prefecturals.

He'd never looked at her like that before.

Kaori felt tears fill her eyes as she pressed her face into the pillow. She had thought being with Sousuke would be one, long magical ride. But even though there were some amazing moments, they seemed to be spending most of their time disagreeing. Kaori remembered him lying to her that weekend when Rin had called, and the many times they'd disagreed since he came back from Tokyo. They'd never fought once in middle school. Her phone buzzed, and she picked it up, noticing a text from Sousuke. She sat up quickly. It had been almost a week.

 _Sousuke: I'm sorry._

Kaori blinked, wiping her tears away as she looked at his simple message. She glared at it. Did he really think that those two words would solve anything? She frowned as she typed back quickly.

 _Kaori: At least have the guts to call me instead of texting. And I don't want your apologies. I want to know what was wrong with you that night. I want an explanation._

 _Sousuke: I don't have an explanation. And I didn't call because I thought I would disturb you if you were studying._

 _Kaori: I am not texting you about this. Meet me after your swim practice tomorrow._

 _Sousuke: Don't you have cram school on Wednesdays?_

 _Kaori: …Just go to hell._

 _Sousuke: Fine. If you want to meet, we'll meet. See you tomorrow._

Kaori tossed the phone aside and ran a hand over her face. Maybe she would get some answers tomorrow. Although it didn't seem that likely.

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" _Are… are you sure you want me to go?" Sousuke asked quietly. His bed was spread with bags and suitcases, half-filled with clothes as he packed for Tokyo. Kaori was sitting silently at the end of the bed, handing him things as he began to stuff them into suitcases. Sousuke took the small pile of t-shirts she handed him and frowned at her. "Kaori-chan. You're being really quiet."_

" _I know. Gomen," Kaori mumbled. She put her hands in her lap after handing him the pile of t-shirts. "I just… I hate when you ask me that question. It's really hard for me to keep answering. Of course I don't want you to go, but you should."_

 _Sousuke sighed. "I'm sorry."_

" _It'll help your career, right? Tokitsu is one of the best swimming schools in Tokyo?"_

" _Hai."_

 _Kaori nodded. Her thick glasses were sliding down her nose as she stared at her hands in her lap. She bit her lip. "Then it's okay. I really want your swimming career to work out, Sousuke-kun. Nothing would make me happier. Besides…" she looked up at him nervously. "If you're in Tokyo, that gives me all the more reason to work hard so I can join you there."_

 _Sousuke nodded. "I'll call you every day," he promised._

" _You don't need to make promises like that. I know you'll be busy. We'll both be busy." Kaori looked up at him hopefully. "I like you a lot, Sousuke-kun. But this is a really crucial point in achieving our dreams. We shouldn't be getting distracted right now."_

" _Then you don't want me to call you?" Sousuke asked, confused._

" _It's not that. But we both have to get our priorities right. What I'm trying to say, is…" she took a deep breath and looked up at him. Her purple eyes were shining. "I don't mind being second to your swimming right now. You should focus on that. We shouldn't distract each other. But… but once we've both gotten into the universities we want in Tokyo, then we can be together."_

" _We'll be together once we've achieved our dreams," Sousuke echoed._

" _Hai. So even if we don't call or talk to each other for weeks… what matters is that we're doing everything we can to be together when the day comes. And I might not say it aloud, but that's all I will think about for the next three years."_

 _Sousuke looked down at Kaori. He understood what she was trying to say. They both had dreams, and they couldn't compromise on them for the sake of spending a little time together. Kaori had never been the kind of person to take risks. She would much rather be sure that they would be together after these three years, than spend three years together and not know about the future. Sousuke took a deep breath. It only made him love her more. He loved that no matter what, she would never be swayed from what she wanted._

" _Okay," he said quietly. "I'm going to become one of the best swimmers in the country. And even if I don't call you often enough or write letters for the next three years… all I'm going to be thinking about is when you'll join me in Tokyo. Just don't forget that."_

 _Kaori nodded and smiled. "Tokyo. Not before, not after. In exactly three years, I'll see you again."_

 _Sousuke dropped the t-shirts in his hands and then walked over to the bedroom door. It was slightly ajar; he peeked out of it to make sure his mother was downstairs and then shut the door quietly. He came back over to Kaori and kneeled in front of where she sat on the bed. Their faces were at almost the same height. "Kaori-chan," Sousuke said quietly, taking her hand in his. "C-can I kiss you?"_

 _Kaori flushed a deep red, but nodded. Her heartbeat thudded as Sousuke gently leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. It was a quick peck; soft and warm and all too short. Kaori leaned forward again, but Sousuke pulled his head back with a small smile. "Nope. We'll do it again when you come to Tokyo. Your idea, remember?"_

 _Kaori smiled. "Okay."_

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Kaori stumbled into the park, her arms filled with books. The small tower was teetering dangerously in her hands and hoped that she wouldn't drop them in the mud. She sighed as she noticed that the park was almost deserted. The elementary school hadn't let out yet.

She walked over to a nearby bench and placed the books on it. She had just come from the library; cram school class was postponed, but they'd been set tons of work to make up for it. Kaori bit her lip and sat on the bench beside her huge pile of books. She hadn't been to this park in so long. Kaori had come here with Kisumi and Sousuke many times in middle school; Rin as well, in elementary. Did Sousuke have to choose a place with so many memories for them to meet?

"Kaori!"

Sousuke's voice was calm and clear. Kaori watched as he entered the park and made his way over to her. She couldn't resist a smile when he passed by the jungle gym. They'd struggled to climb to the top as kids, but now Sousuke was almost twice as tall as it. His blue-green eyes were conflicted as he came over and glanced at the pile of books. "What is all that?" Sousuke asked.

Kaori sighed. "Um, just some books I issued from the library. I have a lot of homework."

"Right, we can make this quick," he mumbled.

"I didn't come all the way here to make it _quick_. I'd rather talk about what's going on. Sousuke, there's something I don't know about. Did something happen in Tokyo? Or are you having second thoughts about the college you got a scouting offer from?" Kaori asked nervously. It had struck her last night. Maybe Sousuke didn't want to go to college in Tokyo. Maybe he'd found someplace better and didn't know what to tell her.

Sousuke frowned. "I am having second thoughts. But not about college."

"Then?"

"I… I think we should break up."

Kaori stared at him for a long moment. Sousuke's eyes were on the ground as he said it and for a few moments, the words were a mere sound to her. The meaning took time to sink in. Kaori's hands trembled as she stared at Sousuke in shock. "W-what? Break up?"

Sousuke clenched his fists. He hadn't been prepared for the horrified, distraught expression on Kaori's face. He hadn't thought it would be so difficult to say these words to her. But somehow, he knew that he had to do it. "Kaori, let's be practical. This was a mistake from the start."

"The s _tart_?" Kaori echoed, horrified.

"Hai-I mean… I don't mean the start as in elementary school. I mean us, together, _now._ Getting together after I came back to Iwatobi was a mistake. We should never have started a romantic relationship."

Kaori felt her throat close up. "It was _your_ idea."

"I know. I don't know what I was thinking. We both agreed to be together after we'd achieved our dreams, after we were settled in Tokyo. We should have waited until then. All we're doing right now is distracting each other. We're taking out the stress of our uncertain futures on each other and that's wrong." Sousuke replied quietly.

Kaori stared at him in disbelief. "You mean I'm taking out the stress of my uncertain future. Since yours is already fixed."

"I'm not blaming you for anything," Sousuke replied quietly. He looked up at her, his blue-green eyes pleading. "Just try to understand. I think we should focus on ourselves right now and wait for Tokyo, like we always planned."

"That wasn't an appointment! I just didn't think I'd see you before that!" Kaori cried.

Sousuke took a deep breath. He could see tears forming in Kaori's eyes and he closed his eyes so that he wouldn't have to see her cry. He didn't think that his resolve could take it. "I think it's the best idea, Kaori."

"Well I think it's a crappy idea that you came up with so that you can hide whatever it is that you're trying to hide from me!" Kaori snapped. "I don't even know what's going on with you anymore! Do you think I'm an idiot that hasn't noticed the way you've been behaving? The way you tense up every time I mention Tokyo? That fact that you've been disappearing god-knows-where after lying to me and Rin? But I never asked, never pushed it, because I trusted that if something was going on you would be honest with me!" Kaori yelled, amidst tears.

Sousuke clenched his fists. "I'm not hiding anything-"

"As if! The only think I don't know is what it is. Well, Sousuke? Will you at least tell me that before you dump me in the park we used to play in as kids? Is there some other girl? Did you meet someone in Tokyo and not know how to tell me?"

"Are you stupid? There's never been anyone but you!"

"Then what's the _problem_?"

Sousuke stared at her. "I just don't think our relationship is helping anything right now! I think it would be better if we took a break, at least until after your entrance exam. For God's sake, why are you behaving as though I've secretly murdered someone?"

"Because you might as well have, for all the information you're giving me!" Kaori cried. She glared at him, her purple eyes filled with angry tears. When Sousuke didn't respond, she used her sleeve to wipe the tears away quickly and looked down at him. Her gaze was determined. Her voice was quiet when she next spoke. "There will be no break, Sousuke."

"What?"

"I don't want to take a break. If you dump me right now, then it's for good. No Tokyo, nothing." She stared at him, almost as though she was giving him a challenge. "Do you still want to do it?"

Sousuke closed his eyes. "…Yes."

Kaori felt as though someone had stabbed her chest. She'd never thought he would say that. She thought Sousuke would take back his stupid idea, and they could work on fixing her relationship. "Okay," Kaori whispered. She backed away from Sousuke, her feet landing clumsily in the grass. Her mouth seemed incapable of forming any other word. "Okay," she whispered again, before running out of the park, one hand over her mouth to hold in the choked sobs.

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 **A/N – Sorry I took a while to post his chapter! I've been busy. I have the next chapter ready, so I'll be posting it very soon!**

 **Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed! Hope you continue to enjoy!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

"You look really upset," Mika commented, as Kaori gripped her pen tightly. Her hands were trembling. She'd hardly been able to take notes in class after what had happened in the park that afternoon. Her eyes had been blurry with tears the entire class, and Mika, who was sitting beside Kaori, had noticed. "Kaori-chan, is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine," Kaori mumbled, as she stood up to gather her books. The entire class was getting ready to leave. But she knew it was a lie. She felt like her world had come crashing down around her. _Why am I even sitting here?_ She wondered for a moment. W _hat's the point of all this if Sousuke doesn't care?_ Her shoulders began to tremble as she replayed the moment in her head. It still felt like a horrible nightmare.

Mika's eyes widened. "Kaori-chan…"

"I-I'm being stupid," Kaori mumbled. "I just… I got dumped by my boyfriend earlier today."

As she said it, it sounded so stupid. People broke up with their boyfriends all the time. Yet, Kaori felt as if her heart had been stamped on mercilessly. Were all break-ups so painful? How did people deal with them? It didn't feel like a break-up. It felt like a part of her had been torn away from her body. Mika looked at Kaori sympathetically.

"Oh, Kaori-chan… I'm so sorry. Hey, tell you what. I know just the thing that will cheer you up. A few of us are going out to a bar after class. Do you want to come?"

Kaori's eye widened. "I've never really been to a bar before-"

"Come on! Just come out with us for a bit! It'll be fun, okay? You can leave if you're not comfortable." Mika gave her a big smile. "Come on. You know you'll only mope about your ex-boyfriend if you go home. You might as well try to distract yourself."

Kaori hesitated, but followed Mika out of the classroom as she caught up with a group of about five or six other boys and girls. Mika's words were ringing in her ear. _Ex-boyfriend._ It felt like a stab in the chest. Kaori had barely been getting used to calling Sousuke her boyfriend; and now he was already her ex? The words sounded disgusting.

The group of Mika's friends greeted both of them cheerfully. All of them knew who Kaori was, since her name was at the top of the ranking list in every exam. She forced a smile as Mika explained to the rest of them that Kaori had had a break-up. They all looked sympathetic; one girl even grabbed her arm and promised to cheer her up with a big grin.

Kaori followed them down the street as they entered a fancy-looking club. The music was loud and the lights were shining brightly in her eyes. Kaori flinched, trying to ignore the pounding in her head. She frowned as the group found a table in the corner. One guy grinned, flashing his wallet at the rest of them. "All right, tell me what everyone wants," he explained. "This rounds on me."

"Baka, all the rounds are on you, you're the only one that's twenty!" another guy laughed.

Kaori was surprised as she watched each member of the group around her ask for various cocktails and alcoholic drinks. Even Mika ordered a beer. Were they _all_ drinking? None of them were legal yet! She suddenly felt uncomfortable as all eyes turned to her, waiting to hear what drink she wanted. Kaori flushed. "I… I've never really had a drink before…"

Mika giggled and pushed Kaori's shoulder lightly. Then she turned to the guy. "Get her something light, Daisuke-kun. We don't want to overwhelm Kaori-chan her first time!" she giggled. Daisuke shot her a wink and then disappeared to go get everyone's drinks. Kaori cleared her throat, stiffening slightly. Did she even _want_ to drink? She wasn't entirely sure. Her heartbeat was thudding.

"Don't worry," one of Mika's friends told Kaori with a grin. "A couple of drinks and you won't even remember who your ex-boyfriend is!"

Kaori forced a smile. "That's okay. I don't really want to get drunk, I've never done it before…"

"Don't worry, just have one drink. You won't even feel it. I'm not going to let you get drunk," Mika promised her with a smile. "You shouldn't drink a lot your first time anyway. Oi! Daisuke! How long are you going to take with those?"

Daisuke waved that he was coming, while Kaori turned to Mika. "How… how is Daisuke twenty?"

"Oh, he failed high school a couple of times. He's an idiot, but he's adorable, really," Mika promised with a grin. She looked at Kaori with a smile. Before she could respond, one of the other girls was tugging at Kaori's arm. Her eyes were wide.

"Ne, Kaori-san! You have such pretty hair! There's a guy in my class at school who has hair like yours! Shigino-kun! God, he's so gorgeous. I wish I was dating him. But apparently he's going out with some girl at Iwatobi," the girl chattered away happily.

A guy chuckled. "Kisumi-kun? When do _his_ relationships ever last?"

Kaori cleared her throat. "Um, actually, Kisumi-kun is my cousin," she explained.

"No way! Well, of course you two had to be related; you don't see sakura-colored hair every day, huh? Oh, and wait… your last name is Shigino too, right? I can't believe I never noticed before! Wow!" the girl chirped. She clasped onto Kaori's hand more tightly. "You have to introduce me to him properly, I'd have a better chance if he knew I was your friend; oh-Daisuke's here! Took you long enough!"

Kaori stiffened as Daisuke returned, passing around the drinks. He smiled when he got to Kaori and handed her a small wine glass. "I brought red wine for the lady," he replied with a smile, as Kaori hesitantly took the glass. There was very little in it; besides, wine didn't have much alcohol content, right? Taking a deep whiff of the pungent alcohol smell, Kaori lifted it to her mouth and took a small sip.

It tasted awful. The smell was disgusting and the sharp taste made her want to spit it out again. Kaori swallowed, wondering how the group around her was taking much stronger drinks. Mika noticed Kaori wince and smiled. "Ah. The first time never tastes good; here, eat something to get rid of the taste." She offered her a bowl of snacks, which Kaori hurriedly reached for.

"You know what?" Mika grinned and handed her the beer she had in her hand. "Try this. Let's see if you like it more than the wine."

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Sousuke lay back on the top bunk, his eyes staring at the blank ceiling above him. It was past 9 pm. He'd just returned from swim practice, but his mind was still on Kaori. He felt his stomach spin. She couldn't have meant what she said. Would she really never speak to him again? But he'd had to do it. It was for the best. He couldn't let his problems and unmanageable emotions get in her way during such an important time for her. It was better this way. Kaori would understand eventually.

His phone rang. Sousuke sighed and glanced at the Caller ID. It was Kisumi. He sat up with a frown, and lifted the phone to his ear. What was this idiot doing, calling him this late on a Saturday? "Kisumi-kun. What is it?"

"Sousuke-kun!" Kisumi sounded relieved. There was a lot of background noise; he seemed to be in a crowded place. "Thank goodness. Listen; I need your help. There's a problem and I have no idea what to do. Can you come down here?"

Sousuke glanced at the clock. "It's almost 10 pm, Kisumi. Where the hell do you want me to come at this hour? Just go home and go to bed."

"You don't understand. It's Kaori."

"Kaori?" Sousuke sat up, his heart thudding. "What happened?"

"She… got a little drunk."

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Sousuke pushed his way into the crowded club. He spotted Kisumi and Kaori instantly; the two heads of pink hair weren't very difficult to pick out. He hurried over to them, his fists clenched. What were they doing in a place like this? He hurried over and grabbed Kisumi by the shoulder. "Kisumi! Will you tell me what the hell is going on?"

Before Kisumi could respond, Kaori had spotted him. She leapt up from her seat. "Sousuke-kun!" she chirped, before throwing her arms around his torso. Sousuke stiffened when Kaori pressed her face into his shirt and clung to him tightly. She was giggling almost stupidly and he wrapped his arms around her as well. As he leaned his face down, he could smell the stench of alcohol coming off her. He turned and glared at Kisumi.

"What the hell is this? How drunk is she?" Sousuke demanded.

Kisumi rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, not too much. Apparently she just had three beers, but it was probably her first time. She hugged me too. Apparently she's an affectionate one."

"And you thought it was a good idea to bring her here and get her drunk?" Sousuke asked sharply. He gave Kisumi such a threatening glare that the pink-haired boy almost recoiled under his gaze. He held his hands up hurriedly, in innocence.

"It wasn't me!" Kisumi cried. "She came here with her cram school friends! Apparently she _wanted_ to drink, none of them forced her or anything! Some of them knew me from school so they called me when she started acting drunk. I have no idea what to do. I can't take her home like this. Her parents will throw a fit and mine will get involved too!"

Sousuke frowned and looked down at Kaori, who was still giggling and nuzzling her face into his shirt. She was mumbling something incoherent under her breath, and Sousuke could only catch parts of words like _warm_ and _cuddly._ He sighed, keeping his arms wrapped around the small girl's back. "Obviously, her parents are going to notice her state. Isn't there a friend's house she can go to?"

Kisumi frowned. "Sousuke. Any decent parent is going to call Kaori's mom and dad if she shows up on their doorstep drunk. Look, I've thought of all this. I can't think of a single place to take her that her parents won't find out about. What about your school? No parents there, right?"

Sousuke raised an eyebrow. "Don't be stupid. It's 10 pm, I can't bring a girl into the boys dorms at this hour. There are security cameras at the entrance. Look, we'll come up with something. First of all; aren't her parents worried that she isn't home yet? We have to give _them_ some explanation before we figure out where to take _her_."

"I thought of that. I called Hikari-chan; she's this girl from Kaori's school I dated a few times. She's calling her parents to tell them that Kaori's staying at her place. I even sent her parents some texts from Kaori's phone," Kisumi replied. He rubbed the back of his neck. "But at this rate, there's no use. I can't think of any safe place to take Kaori until she sobers up. And it's getting late."

Sousuke frowned. "Fine. Look, let's get her out of the club first. I'll make a few calls." He glanced down and Kaori and gently peeled her away from his body. She blinked up at him innocently, her gaze somewhat unfocused. "Kaori? Listen, we're going to get out of here, okay? Can you walk?"

Kaori giggled and nodded, but the very first step she took resulted in her stumbling into a table. Sousuke frowned as he grabbed her arm again, to help her straighten her up. "Damn it. Kisumi, you have to help me. She's falling all over the place. I'd carry her, but…"

Kisumi blinked, before noticing that Sousuke was gesturing to his shoulder. "Right. Of course. You can't carry uneven weights. Here, let me…" He came around to grab Kaori's other arm and the two of them struggled to carry the stumbling girl out of the club. Sousuke hailed a cab, and the three of them quickly slid in. Sousuke told the driver to head to a nearby hotel and Kisumi's eyes widened.

"Are you insane?" he hissed at Sousuke. "No way am I letting you take my cousin to a love hotel!"

"Love hotel?" Kaori piped up from in between them. She covered her mouth with her hand, letting out a loud and dramatic gasp. Her big eyes were staring up at him innocently. "I've never been to a love hotel before! Sousuke-kun, will you take care of me?"

Sousuke flushed red. "Baka! Shut up! It's not a love hotel, it's a regular one. My Dad's company owns it. They might get suspicious when they notice how drunk this girl is, but…" he trailed off, glancing at Kisumi and Kaori. "You two look like siblings, so it shouldn't be too much of a problem. I know the manager."

Kisumi blinked. "What if he says something to your Dad?"

"That's a risk we'll have to take," Sousuke replied with a frown. "Better my parents than hers."

Kaori giggled and laid her head on Sousuke's shoulder, closing her eyes happily. Kisumi frowned as he noticed Sousuke's discomfort. The weight of her head was probably hurting him. He sighed and moved Kaori so that she was leaning on his shoulder instead. "Sousuke, for heaven's sake, if she's resting her weight on your shoulder then move her. She's drunk, it's not like she'll care"

Sousuke glared at Kisumi, before looking warily at the sleepy Kaori. "Shut up! What if she hears you?"

Kisumi sighed and patted Kaori's cheek. "Kaori-chan? Can you hear me?"

Kaori swatted his hand away with a frown. "Baka. Don't touch me. I hate you. I… I don't remember why. Why do I hate you?" she asked, looking slightly confused. Sousuke watched her think hard. What the hell was happening? Kaori turned and glanced at Sousuke. "I hate you too! I hate you even more! You… you stepped on my-m-my heart!" she cried, poking Sousuke's chest repeatedly. "Why did you do that? Why?"

Sousuke frowned. He couldn't deal with a drunk and emotional Kaori. Part of him was starting to wonder if this was all his fault. "Shh. It's okay. We'll talk about it tomorrow."

Kisumi frowned and looked between Sousuke and Kaori, confused. "I know why she's mad at me," he said with a frown. "I stopped her from drinking the fourth beer. Why is she mad at you?"

Sousuke was stiff. He frowned and pushed away Kaori's hand. She was still poking him, although she didn't seem to remember why she was doing it. "She's drunk, she doesn't know what she's saying."

"Sousuke…" Kisumi raised an eyebrow.

"Fine. We broke up today," Sousuke mumbled.

"What?" Kisumi cried. His purple eyes widened in shock. He glanced first at Kaori, who was trying to poke Sousuke again, and then at the boy who was pushing her hand away calmly. "Broke up? When were you even together? I didn't know you two were dating! Does anyone tell me anything around here?"

Sousuke glared at him. "Shut up. You're the only one who knows about my shoulder."

"Yeah, but… so why did you break up?"

"None of your business," Sousuke snapped. He sighed and firmly put Kaori's hand back in her lap when she tried to poke his chest again. She gave him an upset pout and then crossed her arms over her chest. Sousuke sighed and glanced out of the window as they neared the hotel. He got out of the taxi. "Stay here. I'll go get a room."

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The two boys managed to carry Kaori up to the large room which Sousuke had managed to procure. Kisumi looked around in surprise and felt a little guilty for accusing Sousuke of trying to take Kaori to a love hotel. This was a very fancy, expensive place. He grunted a little as they pushed Kaori onto the bed.

"Wow. I didn't know that you were this rich, Sousuke-kun," Kisumi mumbled as he looked around the spacious suite. He grinned as he ran his fingers over an expensive-looking painting that was hung on the wall. "This is a pretty nice place, eh? I almost want to stay here…" he trailed off, glancing at his phone. "Shit, I have two missed calls from my parents! I have to go!"

Sousuke stared at him. "You're _leaving_?"

Kisumi frowned. "Well, of course! I have a basketball match next weekend. If my parents are mad, they might forbid me from playing. I have to go _now._ Besides, what do you need me for?" he gestured towards Kaori, who had flopped back onto the springy bed and was cuddling into a soft pillow happily "She's harmless. Just put her to sleep. I'll come by in the morning with some of her stuff."

Sousuke frowned. "Fine. Go."

"Arigatou, Sousuke-kun! And… don't get any funny ideas, okay?" Kisumi warned him playfully.

Sousuke flushed red. "Urusai! Shut up!" he lowered his voice and frowned at him. "And you need to be more careful. You remember what we agreed on, right? Kaori can't-"

"Kaori can't find out about your shoulder, fine, fine," Kisumi grumbled. He glanced at the pink-haired girl on the bed who was swinging her head from side to side and giggling to herself. He frowned and turned to Sousuke. "You have to tell her eventually. She'll be crushed."

"I know."

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Kaori felt a sudden pounding in her head when she woke up. It was warm; she was wrapped up in a number of blankets and she snuggled further into the blankets. She opened her eyes, but everything around her seemed blurry. She could see a large figure by the window and she watched silently as he spoke into a mobile phone.

"Hai. Look, I'll be back in time for practice," Sousuke mumbled, trying to keep his voice down. "No, she's still sleeping. I don't know; I figure I'll just wait until Kisumi comes back. Yes. Okay. Bye." He hung up and turned around to glance at the sleeping Kaori, only to see that she was watching him with open eyes. He quickly put his phone into his pocket and walked over to her.

"Kaori? Are you awake?" he asked gently.

Kaori blinked, snuggling further into the blanket. "I feel sick. My head is spinning. Make it stop," she croaked out, pressing her face into the pillow. She couldn't really think. The pounding in her head was too much. Sousuke sighed and sat beside her on the bed, gently placing a hand on her hair and stroking it. She leaned into his touch. Her eyes squeezed shut as he gently ran his fingers through strands of her soft hair.

"Shh. It'll be okay. You're just hung over. I told Kisumi to bring some medicine when he comes by," Sousuke said gently. Kaori stiffened a little and opened her eyes, suddenly seeming to realize that she wasn't at home. Sousuke withdrew his hand as she sat up, her eyes squinting. "Kaori, calm down. You're fine."

"Where am I? Where are my glasses?" Kaori demanded, looking around her desperately. Sousuke sighed and looked at the bags under her panicked, purple eyes before picking up her glasses from the bedside table and handing them to her. "Here." She put them on quickly, looking up at him in shock. Sousuke sighed and ran a hand over his face. "Do you remember anything?"

Kaori's lower lip trembled and she looked down at her hands. "I… I went to a club with Mika-chan and her friends. And they were all drinking, and…" she looked up at Sousuke with wide eyes, before burying her face in her hands. "Oh god. I'm such an idiot. What did I do?" she whimpered.

Sousuke sighed. "Well. I was going to scold you, but you seem to be feeling guilty enough."

"I can't believe I got drunk," she whispered to herself, almost in disbelief. Kaori pulled her knees up to her chest and then winced. "I reek of alcohol. Oh god. Sousuke, I think I'm going to be sick. My head is spinning. I'm so stupid. What was I thinking? What is this place? Where are we?"

Sousuke lifted a hand to her face and gently stroked her cheek. "Relax. You're in a hotel that my Dad's company owns. Kisumi-kun and I brought you here last night because you were too drunk to be taken home. Kaori, what happened? It's not like you to go to a place like that and drink. You've never done something so reckless in all the time I've known you."

Kaori looked ashamed. She leaned into the hand that Sousuke had placed on her cheek. "I… I don't know. I was so angry at you. I was just sitting there throughout cram school and thinking W _hy am I here? What's the point in sitting here and studying if not for Sousuke?_ And I guess I lost all sense of judgment. I don't know what I was thinking." She looked up at Sousuke and grabbed for his hand, her big purple eyes looking up at him. "Sousuke, I'm scared. Please don't leave me."

Sousuke flushed. Her small fingers had wrapped around his hand and were holding them to her face. "Baka, don't say things like that. It's the effect of the alcohol-"

"No, it's not," Kaori muttered. Tears were starting to leak out of her eyes. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I just haven't been able to think straight since yesterday. Sousuke, please. I don't want to break up. I don't even want to take a break. I love you. I've been spending the last few years of my life planning a future with you and…" she bit her lip, holding back her tears. "The moment I realized it wasn't going to happen, I felt like my whole world and future had come crashing down around me."

"You idiot," Sousuke whispered, leaning forward and wrapping his arms around her tightly. Kaori pressed her face into his neck and he could feel her tears on his skin. He clutched her to him. "I left you because I wanted you to focus on your studies. I didn't know you were going to go insane and start doing reckless things, did I?"

"I'm sorry," Kaori whispered.

"It's okay. Shh. It's fine. Don't worry."

Kaori stiffened and slowly pulled away. "H-how am I going to go home? I must be such a mess. Where do my parents think I've been all night?" she asked quickly. She glanced down at herself; she was wearing the same thing she'd worn to cram school the previous night, with the exception of her shoes.

Sousuke bit his lip. "I don't know. Kisumi was handling your parents. I think he got some of your friends to cover for you. My job was finding a place to keep you safe for the night. I had to answer a lot of the manager's questions," Sousuke said with a wry smile. "He wasn't too happy about me bringing a drunk girl into his hotel and staying the night with her."

Kaori's eyes widened. "Oh no. Will he tell your Dad?"

"I hope not. Either way; better my parents than yours, huh?"

"I don't want you to get into trouble!" Kaori cried, clutching his t-shirt. She winced as her head pounded again and she leaned back against the pillow. "Ow. It hurts so much. Why am I such an idiot?"

Sousuke leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. "Don't strain yourself. Sleep."

Kaori snuggled closer to the pillow, before reaching for one of his hands. She held it in hers, pulling it under the blanket with her. They sat in silence for a long moment before Kaori finally spoke. Her voice was muffled. "Sousuke."

"Hmm?"

"I… I don't deserve you."

Sousuke raised an eyebrow and frowned, moving the comforter slightly so that he could see her face. She was looking up at him miserably, her pink hair messily covering her face. He sighed and gently pushed her hair aside. "Why would you say that?" he asked quietly. "Don't be stupid. You're just upset because you got drunk last night. It could happen to anyone."

"Has it ever happened to you?" she asked hopefully.

"Tch. As if I would ever willingly send toxins into my body like that."

Kaori smiled lightly, before biting her lip. "Thank you for taking care of me."

"Hey," Sousuke whispered, kissing her forehead again. "I love you. I'll always be here for you. Don't ever say things like that. I'm lucky that you put up with me despite all the pain I keep putting you through. Leaving for Tokyo, trying to break up with you, pressuring you about your studies…"

"I know you do it because you care," Kaori mumbled. She looked up at him. "I meant what I said. Please don't leave me. I'm a mess without you."

Sousuke sighed and then smiled gently. "I can see that. Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere."

Sousuke's phone rang again and he frowned as he glanced at the caller ID. He put it aside on the table and Kaori blinked, glancing between the ringing phone and Sousuke's stiff frown. She lifted her head up slightly. "You should answer that. Who is it?"

"Don't worry. It's just Rin."

Kaori's eyes widened as she suddenly remembered. "Oh no. There's only a few days until regionals, right? Are you supposed to be at practice? You must not have gotten any sleep last night because of me… Gomen'nasai, Sousuke-kun! I must be such a pain!" she cried, upset. She sniffed slightly, looking up at him. "I'm so sorry."

Sousuke shook his head and smiled down at her, stroking her hair again. _Not as much as I will be._

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 **A/N – Thanks for reading! I hope you're all enjoying this. Do leave a review!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

" _Sousuke-kun!" Kaori called out to the dark-haired boy who was walking out of the classroom, his school bag slung over one shoulder. Sousuke turned around in surprise and looked at the small pink-haired girl rushing towards him. He smiled. She was proudly wearing her class president badge, which she had acquired just last week. Winning the election had seemed to give her a huge confidence boost. She seemed happier and more energetic. "Sousuke-kun, wait!"_

 _Sousuke turned and smiled at her lightly. "Don't you have a student council meeting?"_

" _Not today," Kaori replied, her cheeks slightly flushed. She looked up at Sousuke, embarrassed. She hadn't been alone with him much; she mostly only interacted with Sousuke when Rin and Kisumi were around. But with Rin leaving for Australia and Kisumi going to a different middle school, she'd been finding more opportunity to be alone with her secret crush. "There's no meeting. I just want to get home. C-can we w-walk together?" she asked nervously._

 _Sousuke nodded. "Of course."_

 _They walked in silence for a little while, before Kaori looked up at Sousuke._

" _Sousuke-kun. Can… can you cook?" she asked him hesitantly._

 _Sousuke rubbed his chin. "I'm not bad. My mother is usually working, so I make dinner for myself a lot. It's kind of fun, sometimes. Why? Do you know how to cook, Kaori-chan?"_

 _Kaori flushed. "Not very well."_

" _Why did you ask?"_

" _It's just… there's this party that the student council members are having," Kaori explained with a sigh. "It's tomorrow. And we're all supposed to bring a dish. It's tradition that the first year members are supposed to bring a dessert that they made themselves. But I've never made a dessert before." She flushed slightly. "I mean… I made Valentine's Day chocolate in elementary school, but I can't take that!"_

" _Why don't you ask you're your Mom for help?" Sousuke asked._

" _I can't. My Aunt is having a baby, so my mother is over at her place with her." She looked up eagerly. "Apparently, Kisumi-kun is going to have a little brother! Mom says he'll probably be really cute!"_

 _Sousuke chuckled. He could picture Kisumi and Kaori as babies. "I wonder if he'll have pink hair like you."_

" _I hope not," Kaori mumbled. She fingered a strand of her hair nervously. "Kisumi-kun always got a lot of attention because of his hair color, but when I was in Iwatobi Elementary, all anyone did was call me bubblegum. It was really hard."_

 _Sousuke shrugged. "Well. If they hadn't bullied you, you would never have transferred to Sano and met us!"_

 _Kaori smiled. "True. But this doesn't solve my problem! What am I going to do? I just got elected to the student council, I really want to make a good impression with the seniors! Do you think I should go out and buy a dessert? But that would be cheating, right? I can't cheat! How would I ever be able to live with myself?"_

 _Sousuke cleared his throat and rubbed his neck nervously. "Huh. Okay, look. I once watched a show on television about how to make almond pocky. I think if we looked up the recipe on the internet, we could make it. Do you think that would work?"_

 _Kaori beamed and flushed pink. "Really? Sousuke-kun, will you help me?"_

" _Of course."_

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 _Kaori bit her nails nervously as she waited for the oven timer to go off. She and Sousuke had spent the entire evening trying to make the almond pocky that they had looked up on the internet. The kitchen was a complete mess; Kaori could only hope she would have time to clean it before her mother came back home._

" _Oye. Don't bite your nails like that. There'll be nothing left," Sousuke muttered, pulling Kaori's fingers away from her mouth. She looked down at her little stubs of nails and flushed, hiding her hands behind her back. He sighed. "Don't worry, it'll be fine. And if it doesn't, we already bought some readymade from the bakery so we can pass them off as yours."_

" _I don't want to do that," Kaori mumbled. She glanced at the oven eagerly. "How much longer will it-"_

 _Ding! The oven let off a small ringing noise and Sousuke gently reached for the oven mitt, opening the door carefully. Kaori noticed how precise and careful his movements were. He neatly set the baking tray on the table and waited for it to cool down. He noticed Kaori peeking over his shoulder eagerly._

" _They seem all right," he said. Using the oven mitt, he carefully picked up one stick and blew on it for a few seconds to cool it, before taking a small bite. He grinned and nodded, as Kaori sighed in relief. He handed her the stick. "Here, you try it. Careful, it's hot."_

 _Kaori took the stick from him and bit down eagerly, munching the biscuit. It tasted delicious. She looked up to thank Sousuke, before noticing that his cheeks were extremely pink and his mouth was slightly open. She blinked at him. "What is it, Sousuke-kun?"_

 _Sousuke cleared his throat nervously. "I just… I thought you would bite from the other end…"_

 _Kaori flushed red. She had bitten off the pocky stick from the same place where Sousuke had taken a bite. Was that… an indirect kiss? She was horrified as she realized Sousuke was thinking the same thing and she tossed the remaining chunk of pocky on the counter. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to, I w-was just h-happy that…."_

 _Sousuke chuckled, composing himself and ruffling her pink hair gently. "Baka. It's okay."_

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Kaori got off the bus, struggling a little with her large backpack. She had run straight to Samezuka after her cram school class on Sunday morning. It was still early, and the Samezuka campus was relatively deserted. Kaori hurried over to the swimming pool building, and noticed that it was the only building which seemed inhabited. She spotted a vaguely familiar head of silver hair.

"Nitori-kun!" Kaori called out.

Nitori whirled around. He seemed nervous as Kaori approached him. "K-kaori-senpai! What are you doing here? Are you here to see Sousuke-senpai?" he stammered out. Kaori nodded and smiled. Sousuke had mentioned to her that Nitori was working hard; for some reason, Sousuke felt that the little silver-haired boy reminded him of himself, although Kaori didn't really see it. "Sousuke-kun told me that you've been working really hard! Good for you!"

Nitori nodded. "Hai! I'm very grateful to Sousuke-senpai for coaching me!"

Kaori smiled. "To be honest, I never saw him as the teaching type. Anyway, can you go tell him and Rin that I'm here? I promise I'll only take a few minutes. I just want to wish them luck for regionals."

Nitori nodded obediently and disappeared into the swimming pool area, while Kaori set her bag down on a chair in the lobby. It was slightly heavy; filled with her books and also a bunch of things that she had brought over for Rin and Sousuke. She ran a hand through her pink hair, slightly nervous. She hadn't seen Sousuke since the morning after she'd gotten drunk, a few days ago. She bit her lip as his large figure appeared at the door and approached her. He was shirtless, a mere towel wrapped around his shoulders.

"Kaori," Sousuke greeted her. His blue-green eyes were shining at the sight of her, although his lips barely moved. "What are you doing here this early? Don't you have cram school?"

Kaori raised an eyebrow. She bit back a snappy retort and shook her head. "I just came from class. I wanted to wish you luck since you leave for regionals tomorrow and I have a test, so I won't be able to see you off." She hesitated and adjusted her glasses slightly. "And, um, I wanted to clear things up before you left. You know. Since we haven't talked after…"

"The night you got drunk?" Sousuke asked, as Kaori flushed deeply.

"Urusai. Shut up," she muttered.

Sousuke sighed and grabbed her hand, forcing her to face him. "Kaori, promise me you'll never do anything that reckless. You seemed really upset that morning, so I didn't say anything. But that had better be a one-time thing. Tell me you won't try it again. I might not be there to prevent it from going wrong."

Kaori blinked and looked up at him. "I won't," she replied, with a slight pout. "But maybe you should just stay with me all the time and keep an eye on me to make sure?"

"Don't pull that cute act with me," Sousuke muttered, but he leaned forward and pecked her pouting lips. He stroked her cheek and wrapped his other arm around her waist before leaning forward to kiss her again. Kaori melted into the kiss. Sousuke bit her lip and Kaori grasped his shoulder in surprise. He pulled away suddenly, hissing in pain.

"S-sousuke? Are you all right?" Kaori asked, shocked as Sousuke clutched his shoulder. She reached forward hesitantly, her eyes wide. Sousuke glanced up and forced a smile.

"It's fine," he promised weakly.

"Are you sure? Did it hurt?" she glanced down at her hands. "I didn't realize my nails were so sharp, gomen. Here, let me see it-"

"No. It's fine," Sousuke promised, straightening up quickly. "It's just a crick. I must have slept wrong or something. I'll exercise it out later. Don't look at me with those big eyes, it's nothing. It happens all the time, okay? Don't worry so much." He moved closer to her and grasped her hand. "Where were we?"

"You were telling me not to act cute," Kaori pointed out, although she was still looking nervously at his shoulder.

"Right." Sousuke paused and sighed. "I'm sorry I tried to break up with you."

"I'm sorry I took it so badly. I know you meant well. You're just worried about me, I understand that. I think it's very sweet of you." Kaori sighed and looked up at Sousuke sheepishly. "If it makes you feel any better, I still got a decent score on the test I wrote the day you dumped me."

Rin sauntered into the lobby area. He looked at the embracing couple and raised an eyebrow coolly at Kaori. "Oye. How many times do I have to tell you not to show up here? You're a distraction to my entire team. They all tried to come running out here the moment Nitori announced you were waiting outside. I had to shove Mikoshiba back into the pool," he grumbled. "It's bad enough when my sister comes…"

Kaori frowned. "When did you become so mean, Rin-kun?"

"Nitori said you wanted to see me too. What, distracting Sousuke isn't enough?"

"If you must know, Gou-chan sent me with homemade food for you so that you could eat well before regionals. She put a lot of effort into it, so at least call her and thank her," Kaori replied, opening her bag and pulling out a large box of homemade food. She shoved it at Rin, who seemed a little surprised.

"Oh. Thanks for bringing it over." He turned around. "Well, don't take too long, you two," he muttered, before disappearing back to the pool area. Kaori turned to Sousuke.

"Oh, um, I brought you something too," Kaori said with a small smile. She handed Sousuke a small box, which he took and lifted the edge of the lid to peek inside. Surprised, he looked up at Kaori with a small smile.

"Almond pocky?" he asked gently. "The same recipe?"

Kaori nodded, blushing slightly. "You remembered, huh?"

"Of course." Sousuke leaned forward and kissed Kaori again, sliding his fingers into her soft hair. When he pulled away, he pressed his forehead to hers and stared into her hopeful, purple eyes. Sousuke smiled lightly and shook the small box of pocky. "I'll save them for after the relay."

Kaori nodded. "Good luck, Sousuke."

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Rin frowned as he entered the hotel room that they were staying in, the night before regionals. Sousuke was nowhere to be seen. Where had he gone? He sighed when he realized that there was nothing left on Sousuke's bed except his phone and a small box of what looked like snacks.

Rin leaned back on his bed, resting his head on his pillow just as he heard a loud ringing noise. He glanced at Sousuke's bed and noticed his phone ringing. Frowning at the jarring noise, he leaned over and peeked at the phone. There was a picture of a pink-haired girl smiling shyly at the camera, her cheeks slightly red and with a pair of large glasses resting on her face. Rin sighed as the phone continued to ring. He picked it up.

"You're a really clingy girlfriend, you know that?" Rin asked Kaori with a frown.

"Oye. Why are you answering Sousuke's phone?" Kaori demanded. "Give it to him."

"He was on the phone with you for practically the entire journey here. And he called you as soon as we reached the hotel. And god knows how many more times he's talked to you that I don't know about. Give it a rest, he needs a break."

Kaori huffed. "You just wait, Rin. I have a big album of pictures from elementary school that I'm going to dust off once you get a girlfriend. Besides, you're just jealous because you're miserable and alone. Now give Sousuke the phone or I will call your sister."

"Baka. He's not here. He must have gone down to eat or something. Call later. Or better yet, just let him sleep. It's late," Rin grumbled. He sighed as he remembered how oddly Sousuke had been acting lately. And where had he disappeared to this late at night? All the same, Rin wasn't going to make Kaori worry. When he heard no response, he frowned into the phone. "Kaori? Are you there?"

"I'm here," Kaori mumbled. She sighed. "Rin… can we be serious for a minute? Is there something wrong with Sousuke-kun that I don't know about?"

Rin frowned. "Why would you say that?"

"He's been acting weird lately."

Rin felt his heart skip a beat. He knew it was true. He'd been feeling for a while that something was wrong, but to hear somebody else so close to Sousuke say it, made it all the more real. He held the phone tightly. "I don't think so."

"Really? You haven't noticed anything odd about his behavior?" Kaori asked worriedly. "It's just… did he tell you that he tried to dump me last week? He yelled at me about my studies and he was acting so weird. He apologized later, but… I'm really worried about him. That's why I'm being so clingy."

Rin frowned. Sousuke had tried to _dump_ Kaori? That wasn't normal at all. "No, he didn't say anything about that. Besides, why are you asking me stuff about _your_ relationship? I didn't even know you guys liked each other until recently."

Kaori bit her lip. "I don't know. I just… I get the feeling that he's going to leave me soon."

Rin sighed. He couldn't believe he was doing this. He ran a hand through his dark red hair and frowned. "Look. I'm not going to sit here the night before regionals and assure you that your boyfriend loves you. Relax. He's fine. I'll bring him back to you in the same condition that he left, okay? Besides, Sousuke doesn't take chances when it comes to you."

"What does that mean?"

"Good night, Kaori."

"Matsuoka Rin! You tell me what that means right now!" Kaori demanded.

Rin groaned. "Fine…"

" _All right, everyone!" the teacher called out from the front of the class. A nine-year old Rin was sitting near the back with Sousuke, the two of them trying to flick the other's pencil off the table. "For this project, we're going to work in pairs. Now- I want everyone to split into boy-girl teams, okay? You have two minutes, hurry up and find a partner!"_

" _Boy-girl partners?' Rin grumbled, looking around the class in disappointment. People were already reluctantly moving out of their seats to find partners. "I hate this. It's so awkward asking a girl to be your partner. Who are you going to ask?" he asked Sousuke._

 _Sousuke gestured to the front. "Kaori-chan is sitting alone there."_

" _No fair! I want to ask Kaori-chan! She would never say no. Damn it, Kisumi has like, three girls asking to be his partner," Rin cried, a little worried. He turned to look at Sousuke. "All right. I'll play rock, paper, scissors with you for Kaori-chan." He held out his fist._

 _Sousuke frowned. "She's not an ice cream." He turned to look at the shy girl at the front of the class, who was looking around in a slightly panicked manner, her cheeks flushed at the thought of asking a boy to be her partner. Sousuke's own cheeks had a light tinge to them. "With Kaori, I'm not willing to take the chance of losing."_

Kaori gasped. "He really said that? That's so sweet! He's so adorable!"

Rin frowned. "All right, all right. That's enough. Don't you have a test tomorrow? Go to sleep."

"All right. Good night, Rin-kun."

Rin grunted non-commitally, before hanging up the phone and tossing it back on Sousuke's bed. He lay back on his own bed and put his arms behind his head, closing his eyes. He wondered briefly why it bothered him when Kaori was so worried about Sousuke.

Maybe because it would be nice to have someone worry about him like that too.

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 **(A/N- Following this is the whole scene where Rin finds out about Sousuke's injury and the Samezuka team have a nice, emotional moment and then they lose to Iwatobi, but they develop some nice bromance. :D)**

"Your voice sounds different," Kaori said with a teasing giggle.

Sousuke frowned. He was sitting on the train back to Iwatobi, after regionals had ended. Samezuka had lost to Iwatobi; it was a close call. Kaori had thought that Sousuke would be upset. Yet, there was something different in his voice. For the first time in a while, he sounded happier, more… free. Kaori felt a sudden weight lift off her own chest that she hadn't known was there.

"Urusai," Sousuke murmured quietly, but he sounded pleased. "I guess… I guess I found something I was looking for."

Kaori smiled. "I'm glad. Come home soon, okay?"

"Hai, hai, we're almost there. I'll call you once we reach."

"Okay. I love you."

"Mm. I love you too," Sousuke murmured, before cutting the call and pocketing his phone. He glanced to his left, only to see Rin staring at him with his big, red eyes. Sousuke raised an eyebrow at him. "What's wrong? Why do _you_ look so shocked?" he asked his friend.

"I… K-kaori-chan…" Rin trailed off, his voice trembling. "She doesn't know, does she? About your shoulder? About the fact that you're not going to college? Sousuke… how is she going to take it? Just before the relay she was telling me how much she loves you!"

Sousuke raised an eyebrow. "You talk to my girlfriend?"

"I answered your phone when you weren't in the room. But how can you be so calm about this? She's going to Tokyo and you won't be there!" Rin cried. "It's all she ever talks about! It'll break her heart!"

Sousuke stiffened. "That's why you can't tell her."

"But…"

"I know. I can't hide it forever. I'm not an idiot. But she can't find out until after her entrance exam, do you understand? Under _no_ circumstances can Kaori know that I'm giving up swimming until after she writes her entrance exam. I'm serious about this, Rin. I've been keeping up a lie for months now, I'm not going to let it fall apart just before the biggest step in her career."

Rin hesitated and leaned back in his seat. "She suspects something."

"Yes. But she doesn't know yet. I've made sure of that. If she finds out, she'll start having second thoughts." Sousuke took a deep breath. "I know Kaori. She's sensitive. She'll screw up her exam. She'll start saying she doesn't want to go to Tokyo even though she doesn't mean it. I won't be responsible for her missing out on her dream."

Rin looked at Sousuke for a long moment and then nodded. "Okay. I'll make sure nobody tells her. When's the exam?"

Sousuke took a deep breath. "In two weeks."

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 **A/N – Phew! Sorry that took so long! The next one should up in a day or two, I'm just editing!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

"These are kind of heavy," Sousuke grunted. He was carrying a number of thick books under his left arm, as he entered Kaori's room hesitantly. He hadn't been in her room since they were much younger. It looked almost the same, with the exception of the now missing stuffed animal collection and Hello Kitty bedspread. Now there were pictures on the wall and plain blue sheets. "Kaori. Hey. Check if I got the right ones."

Kaori was sitting at her table, stacks of notes and books spread around her. Her pink hair was tied back in a messy bun and there were two pens sticking out of the hairtie that held it together. Sousuke wondered if she even remembered that she had put them there. She was chewing on the end of a third pen as she whirled around to face him. "Sousuke!" she cried out, her cheeks flushing. "I-I wasn't expecting to see you so soon. I only messaged you an hour ago."

Sousuke shrugged. "I came straight here. I didn't have any other work to do."

Kaori nodded, suddenly wondering what a horrible sight she must look in front of her boyfriend. She reached back to smooth down her hair, but all that happened was her fingers knocked one of the pens out of her bun and it clattered to the floor. "Sorry. I'm such a mess. Please don't look at me," she muttered with a sigh. She hurried over to take the books from Sousuke, who was wincing from their weight.

"Oye. These are heavy," he repeated as Kaori took them from him quickly, raising an eyebrow at him.

"And you call yourself a national-level athlete?" Kaori teased as she set the books down on her table and quickly began checking the titles. "Baka. You should carry them with both arms and stop trying to show off. Let's see… yes! You got them all!"

Sousuke smiled lightly as Kaori whirled around and threw her arms around his torso gratefully. "Thank you so much, Sousuke-kun! I was so worried that I would have to go all the way to the library to get these. And I've already issued as many books as I'm allowed under my library card, so…"

"Yeah, yeah," Sousuke replied with a grunt, prying her arms from around him and leaning down to kiss her flushed cheek. Kaori smiled up at him. He gently pushed her towards the desk again. "You keep studying. Don't get distracted. I'll leave, okay?"

Kaori pouted. "But you came all the way here! And I haven't seen you since you left for regionals!"

"And you have an entrance exam to write in less than two weeks."

Kaori frowned and glanced at the clock. It was almost 7 pm. She sighed and turned around to face Sousuke, giving him a determined look. "Give me half an hour to finish the chapter I'm on. Then I'll take a break and we can eat dinner. My parents went to some dinner party anyway, so you and I can go out for ramen."

"Can you really spare enough time to go out for dinner?" Sousuke asked doubtfully.

Kaori sighed. "Fine, fine. We'll order food in, are you happy? I just don't want you to leave so soon, since I haven't seen you in days! Please, Sousuke? Please, please, please?" she pleaded, her big eyes looking up at him innocently through her thick glasses. Sousuke sighed and nodded, unable to resist a small smile.

"Yes, okay. Finish that chapter, then. I'll wait."

Kaori grinned as she hurried back to her desk and smoothly slid into her chair. "Okay! Make yourself at home!" she told him as she picked up her pen and hurriedly began writing. Sousuke stood behind her chair for a few moments, watching her small hand flit over her notebook, before turning back. He glanced at the photographs she had pinned on her wall. Most of them were old. He saw a few of her family, one of Kisumi and baby Hayato, and a few of Kaori and himself in middle and elementary school. Sousuke smiled. The most recent one was a selfie that Kaori had taken of both of them at the ramen shop they always went to after her cram school. Kaori was smiling cheerfully, while Sousuke was looking away from the camera, his cheeks slightly pink.

Once he'd looked at all the pictures, he glanced around Kaori's room uncomfortably. There wasn't much he could do without disturbing her; and Kaori was already deep into her studies, mumbling things to herself as her pen scratched over the paper. Sousuke sat on the edge of her bed for a few moments. His shoulder was aching. He reached up to adjust the shoulder brace under his shirt, before lying back on the bed. He took a deep breath. The sheets smelled like Kaori and he sighed as he closed his eyes.

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 _Sousuke sighed as he exited the locker room. It was the first swimming tournament that he had entered since Rin had left for Australia. Despite the fact that he'd won first place in the butterfly race, he still couldn't shake the empty feeling. It wasn't the same, swimming without Rin. Sousuke rubbed the towel over his wet hair as the entered the corridor. He barely noticed the small, pink-haired girl waiting for him outside._

" _Kaori-chan?" he asked, as he saw her. He blinked in surprise. Kaori was standing a little nervously, leaning against the wall. She smiled shyly as soon as she saw him._

" _Sousuke-kun! Congratulations! I saw your race, you were really good," she told him nervously. Sousuke flushed slightly. Kaori had always come to their tournaments; but it had been different before. Then Rin had been swimming too, and Kisumi had been there. Sousuke hadn't expected her to come for just him. "K-kisumi says he's sorry he couldn't come. He joined the basketball team at his school and they have practice."_

" _That's okay," Sousuke said with a grin. "Arigato, Kaori-chan. I didn't know you would come to watch."_

 _Kaori shrugged, a little embarrassed. "I-I always come to watch. And, um, here. I brought you this." She held out a small box, which contained a number of pocky sticks. Sousuke grinned as he recognized them._

" _Home-made almond pocky?" he asked with a smile._

" _Y-yes. It's your recipe. I tried it again after you taught me the other day, so I thought you might want to taste them." Kaori looked hopeful as Sousuke took one of the sticks and bit the end. He chewed it quickly and nodded._

" _It's great," he told her happily. Kaori flushed and Sousuke smiled, gently ruffling her pink hair. "Thanks for making these for me. Come on. It's getting dark. I'll walk you home."_

 _Kaori nodded and quickly hurried after the dark-haired boy as they both left the stadium._

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"Sousuke! Sousuke-kun, get up!" Kaori insisted, gently prodding the large swimmer that was fast asleep on her bed. Her cheeks were slightly red as she looked at her peaceful boyfriend. He looked adorable while he was sleeping. Kaori smiled at him as he slowly opened his drowsy, blue-green eyes.

"Eh-what?" he asked, his voice thick. Kaori bit her lip and leaned away from him. "You fell asleep. It's almost 9 pm. I finished studying and even made dinner!"

Sousuke sat up, rubbing his eyes. " _Kuso._ Why didn't you wake me up?"

"You looked tired. And I felt bad for making you come all the way out here just to bring me library books, so… I thought I would let you sleep. Do you want to eat? Or um… Well, the fireworks have started." Kaori smiled at him hopefully. "Do you maybe want to go watch them together?"

Sousuke blinked in surprise and then nodded. "All right. Let's go watch the fireworks."

Kaori beamed. "Okay!"

They walked down to the beach together. Kaori felt a light-heartedness in her chest. Despite the stress and tension she'd been going through recently for her impending exam, she was still glad that Sousuke was here with her. She'd wanted to watch the fireworks with him for a long time. The wind was slightly chilly and Kaori wrapped her arms around Sousuke's, tugging him closer to her.

"Uh, Kaori…" Sousuke looked down at her, his arm stiff in her grasp.

"Hmm?" Kaori blinked.

"Do you mind walking on the other side of me?" he asked, moving around to stand on her right so she could grab his left arm. Kaori blinked at him in surprise, but he just shrugged. "Sorry. It just feels more comfortable. Are you cold?"

Kaori shook her head. "N-no, I'm fine. Sousuke…"

"Hmm?"

"You've seemed happier since regionals ended. And when I called you on the bus, you said that you found something you'd been looking for. What was that?" she asked him quietly. "Was it… I mean, did something happen there? Because from what I remember, you guys _lost_ to Iwatobi, so…"

Sousuke smiled as they arrived at the beach. There were already a number of paper lanterns going up into the air and lighting up the night sky. He looked up at them, before pulling Kaori closer to him. He placed a kiss on her head, his lips brushing her pink hair. "I realized that doesn't matter. I think I found some kind of a closure. It's hard to explain, Kaori. Come on, let's go closer and-"

Kaori shook her head, grabbing his shirt and pulling him back. "Sousuke, wait."

"What is it?" he asked, looking down at her purple eyes. They looked nervous.

"There's something I want to say," she whispered. "I… I know that you've been going through something ever since you came back here at the start of this year. I haven't been able to figure out what it is. I have my suspicions, but…" she shook her head. "Never mind. That's not the point. I know you were never the type of person to express your feelings freely. And I understand if you don't want to tell me whatever is going on."

Sousuke stiffened. "It's not that I don't want to tell you…"

Kaori shook her head. "No. It's okay. If you aren't telling me, that means it's something I won't be able to take or something you can't trust me with. And if that's the case, it's my own fault. So I can't really complain."

"Kaori…"

"And you seem much happier now. So maybe whatever it is has been resolved, right? At least somewhat." Kaori took a deep breath and looked up at him. "If there's something you want to tell me, then I'm always willing to listen. And if there's something you don't want to tell me… that's okay too. Because I trust you more than anyone else in the world."

Sousuke's eyes widened as Kaori whispered the last words nervously, looking him straight in the eye. He felt a sudden guilt rise in his stomach. What had he done to deserve her love so much? Biting his lip, he reach forward to pull Kaori into his arms, tightly, pressing her to his chest and nuzzling his face into her neck. Kaori gasped, but she clutched him in return. She could feel Sousuke's mumbled words whispered into her ear. "I love you so much."

"I love you too," Kaori replied quietly.

Sousuke pulled away from her and pressed his forehead to hers, gently taking her face in his hands. Kaori smiled and looked up at him sadly. "Why do I feel like… like a clock is ticking over our heads?" she whispered.

Sousuke took a deep breath. "The clock is a _lways_ ticking, Kaori. Just because you don't notice it doesn't mean that it stops." He leaned forward and kissed her desperately, his fingers sliding into her soft hair. Kaori wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled Sousuke closer. The distant sound of the fireworks going off seemed far away. She gasped as he deepened the kiss, pulling their bodies flush against each other. Kaori felt her body tremble in his tight grip. After a long moment, she pulled away, breathing heavily. She took a deep breath and looked straight into his pained, blue-green eyes. "Y-you're okay, right? I just want to know that you're okay," she said.

"I'm fine," he replied quietly. "Are you?"

"As long as you're here, I'll always be fine," Kaori promised gently. She leaned forward and pecked his lips, blinking back the tears that had pooled in her eyes. "Look- we're missing the fireworks."

Sousuke nodded and smiled as they both turned to face the fireworks and watched them quietly. Kaori snuggled close into Sousuke's side, clutching his shirt with one fist as she watched the fireworks explode in the sky. She bit her lip and smiled when she spotted Nagisa and Rei standing a little distance away from them. Kaori grinned and waved, but neither of them noticed her.

"I'm sure that if Nagisa-kun and Rei-kun are here, Haru and Makoto must be nearby," Kaori mused quietly. She glanced at Sousuke, who calmly pointed upwards at the steps to the higher look-out point. Kaori blinked as she noticed Haru and Makoto. Something didn't seem right. "Are they… fighting?" she asked nervously.

Sousuke glanced up and then gently placed a hand on Kaori's head, forcing her gaze back down. "What does it matter? We all have to sort out our own problems. There's nothing you can do."

Kaori nodded quietly. "I guess…" She looked up at Sousuke quietly. _Although I wish you wouldn't try to sort your problems out by yourself. I wish you would let me help._

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"No, I cannot babysit Hayato. What part of _life-changing exam in 10 days_ do you not understand?" Kaori snapped angrily into her phone. She was sitting cross-legged on her bed, books spread all around her. Her phone was pressed to one ear as she grasped her pen tightly in the other. "Kisumi, I'm hanging up now."

Kisumi pouted from the other end of the line. "Kaori-chan, please! I really like this girl and she finally agreed to go out with me! It's a dream come true!"

"Good for you," Kaori replied sharply. "I also _really_ like Sousuke-kun and if I don't clear this exam, he'll be going to Tokyo alone at the end of the year. All right?"

Kisumi paused for a moment. "Good luck studying, you evil witch."

"Thank you," Kaori sighed in relief, before saying goodbye and hanging up the phone. She glanced back at her books and took a deep breath. She finally had a week off from school, and she had to use this to get as much studying done as possible before her exam. She sighed as she forced herself to keep her eyes open and opened a new book. Maybe a change of subject would help her concentrate. But she couldn't. Her stomach started grumbling. Sighing, she grabbed her phone again and checked her messages. There was one from Sousuke.

 _Sousuke: Good morning. Study hard today. I'm at home for the vacation and I don't have much to do. Let me know if you need anything._

Kaori smiled. Samezuka had a week off too, right before nationals, and so all the students had gone home. Kaori was glad. Sousuke's home was much closer than his high school, which was why she didn't feel so bad about asking him to come over. Smiling, she typed in return.

 _Kaori: Sousuke. Food. Hungry._

His reply was almost instant.

 _Sousuke: You idiot. I'm coming._

He came over in a little over half an hour, carrying two simple bentos he'd made himself. Kaori beamed as he entered her room with the piping hot food and reached for it happily. Sousuke smiled fondly before handing her the lunchbox. Kaori took it with a grin, brushing aside some books so that he would have some space on the bed to sit.

"Wow! It smells so good! I forgot to eat breakfast, I've been studying since six am!" Kaori cried, before mumbling _itadakimasu_ and stuffing a huge mouthful into her mouth. Sousuke chuckled. He adjusted himself on the bed, trying to ignore the sharp ends of books that he was practically sitting on.

"You must be starving. You should have called me before."

Kaori blinked. "I didn't see your message. I thought you might be with Rin."

"Rin went on a trip to Australia. He took Haruka-kun with him for some reason. It was kind of sudden, he didn't tell me very much," Sousuke said calmly, taking a bite. "So all I have left in this town are you and that annoying cousin of yours."

Kaori smiled, taking another mouthful of food and sighing. "I didn't know you were such a good cook, Sousuke-kun. If you weren't a swimmer, I would say that you should set up a restaurant!" she smiled at him cheekily. "Maybe after you retire, eh?"

Sousuke bit his lip as he glanced at his food. "Retire?"

"Well. I mean, you're not going to swim forever, right? Swimmers usually peak around the age of 21, so by the time you're in your thirties, you'll really have no career left. Unless you want to coach or something. But I can't see you doing that. So let's open a restaurant!" Kaori beamed as she sat up eagerly. "Oh! We'll be like that adorable old couple who runs the ramen shop by the middle school!"

Sousuke looked at Kaori's big eyes and chuckled. She had always had a wild imagination. He smiled and patted her head lightly. "Okay. Enough dreaming. We'll deal with a ramen shop when the time comes. For now, you need to keep studying. Your exam is coming up."

Kaori frowned. "I'm eating. I can't look at the book properly while the bento is in my hands."

"Here. I'll ask you questions."

Kaori raised an eyebrow. "Really? Are you sure? Okay, fine, here. You can help me revise that chapter. The sample questions are at the back," she replied, handing him an exercise book. Sousuke put his food in his lap and opened the book with one hand, looking at the question bank.

"Okay. Let's see. Name three essentials of a legal contract," Sousuke read out.

Kaori rolled her eyes. "Simple. Offer, acceptance and consideration."

Sousuke frowned as he looked at the book. He couldn't quite understand it. "Consideration? What does that mean? As in, you have to consider what you're signing before you sign the contract?"

Kaori shook her head and poked her chopstick in his direction. "No, genius. It's not the _thinking_ consideration. It means payment. It could be like money, or services or anything of value that will change hands for the purpose of the contract." She smiled when she noticed the blank look on Sousuke's face. As talented as her boyfriend was, he'd never been the best at academics.

Kaori took the last bite of her food, before setting it aside. "For example. You could _offer_ to let me have the rest of your lunch and I could a _ccept._ But it wouldn't be a legal contract because there's no consideration. I'm not paying you anything in return."

Sousuke chuckled, handing her his bento. "All right. I will _offer_ you my bento."

Kaori smiled. "I'll accept. Name your consideration."

"A kiss."

Kaori laughed and set the lunchbox aside. She saw the slightly pink tinge on Sousuke cheeks and nodded, leaning forward to plant a soft kiss on his lips. Sousuke returned the kiss, pulling her closer on the bed until she was almost in his lap. His large arms wrapped around her waist and Kaori could feel herself melting against him as he gently caressed her lips. Kaori gasped when one of her hands slipped down from his chest and landed clumsily in his lap. She had felt something hard there and she snatched her hand away quickly, shocked. "Gomen, I…"

Sousuke flushed. "U-uh, it's okay, I… I should be apologizing, I…"

Kaori bit her lip before kissing him again. She was extremely embarrassed that she and Sousuke were sitting alone in her room, on her _bed_ and that he was turned on. But at the same time, she felt a sudden excitement. She gently pushed on his chest as she kissed him harder, causing Sousuke to lean backward. Kaori's legs went on either side of his body, and before either of them knew it, she was straddling him as he lay back on his elbows on her bed.

"K-kaori-" Sousuke mumbled, in between kisses. His hands were gripping her waist. "Wait. Stop."

Kaori gently pulled away from him, looking into his blue-green eyes. "Sorry. Do you not want to… I mean, I didn't…!" She was flushing red now, humiliated that she'd made such a bold move on Sousuke. He shook his head quickly and reached back behind him to extract a book that was underneath him.

Sousuke cleared his throat. "No... I just wanted to tell you that this book was digging into my back and it was kind of hurting." He noticed Kaori flushing and rubbed the back of his neck. "But now that we've stopped, I mean… did you really want to…?"

Kaori took a deep breath and looked at him. "Yes," she mumbled.

"Yes, what?" Sousuke asked. There was a hint of teasing in his tone.

"I want to have sex with you," Kaori whispered. She bit her lip and looked up at Sousuke, who had an unreadable emotion in his blue-green eyes. She suddenly felt ashamed and looked down at her hands. "You must think I'm such a pervert!"

Sousuke shook his head quickly, reaching out to grab her hand. "Don't be stupid. Of course I don't think that. But not here, on top of your examination books. You need to write your exam first. After that, if you still want to, then…"

Kaori looked up at him hopefully. "Then?"

Sousuke leaned forward and gently kissed her forehead. "Then we'll do it properly. I'll take you to a hotel and we'll make it romantic, okay? But we'll talk about it after your exam."

Kaori looked up at him with flaming red cheeks. "Okay. S-sousuke, I love you."

Sousuke smiled. "Baka. I love you too. So much."

"Okay! Next question!"

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 **A/N – Thanks for your review, LilShorty0594! I'm glad you're enjoying it!  
Hope you guys liked this one. I might take a little while to update because the next week is kind of hectic for me. But I have it all planned out, so no worries! **


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

 _Kaori bit her lip as she, Rin and Sousuke bent over the large freezer filled with ice creams and cold treats. It was a hot summer day, and they had just come out of elementary school. She looked around at all the choices, unable to make up her mind._

" _Ne. What do you guys want?" Rin asked, glancing at Kaori and Sousuke._

" _Hmm…" Sousuke hummed. Kaori reached into the freezer to move some of the treats around, so that they could see the ones that were buried underneath as well. As she shifted the ice creams, a large Popsicle with an orange wrapper came into view. Her eyes widened. That was the best one! Before Kaori could even move though, both Rin and Sousuke had reached for the treat._

 _Kaori blinked in surprise as both boys jerked away and instantly began playing rock, paper scissors loudly in the middle of the street. She watched quietly, a little disappointed, as Sousuke won the best out of three. Rin pouted and reached for a different treat. Kaori peeked into the freezer again as well. She still hadn't made her choice._

 _Sousuke tapped her on the shoulder. "Kaori-chan."_

 _Kaori whirled around and saw Sousuke offering the orange popsicle to her. Her eyes widened._

" _I mean… it was hidden underneath and we would never have seen it if you hadn't moved them around, so…" Sousuke rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly as Kaori flushed a brilliant red. She mumbled a thank you and took the popsicle from him, gratefully._

 _Rin watched them smile shyly at each other, rolling his eyes._ _How stupid._

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Sousuke was surprised when Kaori came straight to his house the next afternoon. He opened his bedroom door and blinked at the sight of his bespectacled girlfriend, looking smug as she stood there with her backpack slung over her shoulder.

"Kaori?" he asked. "Didn't you have cram school this morning?"

Kaori nodded, holding up a paper proudly. "I did. Guess who got the top rank in the last mock exam? I'll have you know that's three in a row. And considering this is the only cram school in our prefecture, I can safely announce that I am the best student here!" she replied proudly as Sousuke opened the door further and let her into his room.

Sousuke chuckled. He was glad to hear that she was doing so well in her mock papers. "I thought you had a little more modesty than that, Kaori. Have some sympathy on your classmates."

Kaori shrugged, looking around Sousuke's room as she stepped in. it seemed rather empty and desolate. She shuddered lightly, looking around at the scant number of belongings. She placed her bag on the floor. "This place looks uninhabited," she muttered.

Sousuke nodded. "Well, I don't spend much time here. All my stuff is in the dorms at school."

"Oh." Kaori turned to face him.

"What are you doing here, anyway? Shouldn't you go back home and study?"

"Oh, come on. I just topped a mock exam, can't I take a few hours off?" Kaori pouted. She blinked up at him innocently. "You're not busy, are you? I should have called but I thought I'd give you a surprise. Besides, it's been so long since I've been to your house. And I'm not allowed in your dorms at Samezuka."

Sousuke raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Fine. Although you won't find anything of interest here. Maybe we should go out to eat or something."

"Not hungry enough," Kaori replied simply. She spotted a couple of training weights and small dumbbells lying in the corner of the room and her eyes widened in curiosity. Sousuke watched as she bent down and peered at them in interest. "Hmm. Do you lift these weights, Sousuke-kun? They don't look very big," she mused, glancing at him teasingly.

"They're heavier than they look."

"I bet they're not," Kaori replied lightly, reaching down to lift one simply. She let out a shocked squeak as she realized how heavy it was and stumbled backward, almost dropping it on her own foot. Sousuke's eyes widened as she clumsily dropped it back on the ground and massaged her arm. "Oww…"

"Baka! You'll injure yourself!" he scolded Kaori, grabbing her arm and pulling her away from the weights. "What are you, five years old? And I'm supposed to believe that you're the top candidate for Tokyo University from our prefecture?" Sousuke asked her with a frown.

Kaori flushed as she sat on his bed and rubbed her arm. "Sorry"

Sousuke sighed and placed a hand on her slightly red cheek, stroking it gently. He couldn't help but notice how cute she was when she was embarrassed. He leaned forward and placed a kiss on her cheek. "Be more careful. Your exam's next Saturday, isn't it? How are you going to Tokyo?"

Kaori nodded. "My Dad said he'd drive me there. It's just a little over two hours. He has some official work there that day anyway. What about you? When are you leaving for nationals?"

"A bunch of my teammates are taking the train on Saturday morning."

"The train? But that takes practically four hours considering all the exchanges, it's much faster by road!" Kaori replied. She smiled and peered up at him through her thick glasses. "You should come with me and Ojisan. He won't mind. Although you can't tell him that we're dating. He'd freak out."

Sousuke raised an eyebrow. "Your parents don't know that we're dating? Your Mom's been giving me sly smiles whenever I come over with your library books or food."

"She suspects, but she doesn't know for sure. Dad has no clue. It's kind of embarrassing, you know," Kaori replied, tucking her hair behind her ear nervously. "They still treat me like a kid. That's why I'm so glad they never found out about the drinking incident. Maybe I'll tell them once I start college."

"Hmm." Sousuke mused. He opened his mouth to say something, but he was cut off by the faint sound of his mother calling out to him from downstairs. Sousuke sighed and moved closer to the door, opening it and peeking out. "I'm coming, okaasan!" he called out, before turning back to Kaori. "She probably needs help reaching something in the kitchen. She's been using me as a step-ladder all week."

Kaori giggled, thinking that anybody would want to use her tall boyfriend for the same purpose. "Or maybe she just misses you because you're rarely home. Go ahead, I'll wait."

"I'll be back in a second," Sousuke mumbled, before exiting the room. Kaori sat quietly in the room for a few moments, before leaning back on his bed. It was soft and she sighed, closing her eyes. She was tired. She'd been up all night studying and had to run to cram school early in the morning to write her mock exam. As she felt her eyes drift closed, Kaori quickly sat up and slapped her cheeks lightly. _No. Don't fall asleep in Sousuke's house, you idiot._ Besides, if she fell asleep during the day, then her entire sleep schedule would be ruined and she wouldn't be able to study.

 _I should wash my face._ She noticed the bathroom door in Sousuke's room and entered it quietly. There were a number of things on the sink countertop. Kaori looked at them with interest, feeling a little curious. She glanced at what appeared to be shaving cream, cologne, shampoo... She noticed a small bottle that appeared to be some sort of a spray. _Pain relief?_ She wondered lightly, looking at it. There was a long undecipherable name and something about muscle cramps written on it. Did all athletes keep these in case of emergencies?

Kaori blinked at it and then turned on the tap, splashing her face with cold water to wake herself up. She glanced in the mirror and realized that there were dark circles under her eyes, hidden by her thick glasses. She sighed as water dripped down her face. _I need a towel._ Unfortunately, no such thing existed in Sousuke's bathroom. Rather, the only thing hanging on the towel rack was some oddly shaped sling type thing made of what appeared to be foam.

 _Is that…. A shoulder brace_? Kaori remembered a boy in her class breaking his arm last year and wearing something similar to school for a number of days. But it wasn't quite the same… Kaori shook her head and walked out of the bathroom. She managed to find a handkerchief in her backpack and used that to wipe her face. She was just putting it back in when Sousuke entered the room.

"Hey. Sorry about leaving you. Okaasan made lunch, do you want to come and eat?" he asked her lightly.

Kaori nodded and followed him out of the room.

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"Good luck, Kaori-senpai!"

"Kaichou! Do well on your exam!"

Kaori smiled and waved at the other Student Council Members as they all wished her luck. It was Friday evening, and her exam was the very next day. Kaori could feel a constant restlessness. She was relieved that school was over. At least now she could go home and revise everything she'd been studying for the past few months.

Kaori passed by the swimming pool area, just in time to see the boys from the Iwatobi Swim Club headed towards it. She smiled and waved at them. Gou waved eagerly in return, and the other boys turned to look at her as well. "Hey guys!" Kaori greeted. "Good luck for nationals tomorrow! Gambatte!"

"Thank you, Kaori-san!" Makoto replied.

Gou smiled. "Hey, Kaori-senpai, isn't your entrance exam tomorrow? I heard one of the teachers talking about it today. She said that she hoped you would ace it and bring pride to the school!"

Kaori flushed nervously. "Well. That's a little too much pressure. Besides, the ones who have brought pride to the school are you guys; making it all the way to nationals! You must have worked so hard! I wish I'd been there to see regionals!"

Nagisa grinned at her happily. "Hai! Regionals were great! Although, Kaori-senpai, you might have gotten upset after seeing Sou-chan falter during the race considering he-" he was cut off by a sharp jab to his elbow, and Makoto smiled at Kaori apologetically. Kaori was blinking down at the blonde-haired boy, who was rubbing his arm.

"Sorry, Kaori-san!" Makoto apologized, chuckling nervously. "Nagisa doesn't know how to address people. How many times have we told you not to call him _Sou-chan._ Remember how _Rin_ said not to do it? Do you remember what else Rin said not to say?"he asked, looking at Nagisa pointedly.

Nagisa's pink eyes narrowed. "Why not? What else would I call him? I'm sure Kaori-senpai calls him that too!"

Kaori opened her mouth to respond, just as her phone rang. She was curious about the uncomfortable looks they were giving each other, but she smiled apologetically at the Iwatobi Swim Club. They all hurried away, waving goodbye to her. Taking a deep breath, Kaori answered her phone.

"Moshi moshi?"

"Kaori-chan, it's Akira! I need your help! So I was doing the last sample questions paper from the booklet we got last time, do you remember? Right, so in the General Knowledge section there's this question which says that..."

Kaori took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Right. Her exam. She had to focus on that. Nothing else mattered for now.

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 **A/N – Hey, everyone! Thanks for your review again, LilShorty0594, and thanks for taking the time to review every chapter! It really means a lot! You know what? I've thought about the Free water gun thing, because that ova is amazing! You may see just it a few chapters down the line, but no telling! ;)**

 **Also, considering Iwatobi is fictional, I don't really know how far it is from Tokyo. So I looked up Sano, and apparently there's a place called Sano that's at the distance from Tokyo I mentioned in the chapter. So I'm just going with that. Sorry if it's inaccurate.**

 **Hope you enjoyed, do let me know what you thought!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Sousuke approached Kaori's house early on Saturday morning. Her father's car was parked out front, and Kaori was leaning against the hood, a notebook in her hands. She was mumbling things to herself as she read it, and Sousuke smiled. Kaori's pink hair was messily tied back, as it always was when she was studying.

"Good morning," he greeted her softly, dropping his duffel bag beside the bar. Kaori glanced up and smiled at him nervously. Sousuke's blue-green eyes were looking at her with concern. She waved him over and he sat beside her on the hood, peeking into her notebook. "Are you prepared? Relaxed?" he asked.

Kaori took a deep breath and nodded. "Yup. Just revising."

Sousuke nodded and leaned forward to quickly place a kiss on her cheek. Kaori flushed a little, and pushed him away softly, although she was smiling. "Oye. None of that. My father will be out any minute, he's just finishing breakfast and saying goodbye to Mom. Besides, I'm studying."

Sousuke nodded and moved a little further away from her. "Sorry. I'll stay away."

Kaori glanced at him and flushed slightly. He looked good in his Samezuka jacket, with his hair slightly messy, as though he hadn't had time to comb it before he hurried over here. Kaori watched as Sousuke moved away from the hood and reached down to grab his duffel bag again. Just then, the front door opened and Kaori's father stepped out, pointing his keys at the car to unlock it.

Kaori smiled at him and jumped down from the hood. "Otousan! I was about to come in and get you," she explained, moving around to the door. Kaori's father nodded. He was a tall man with a head of mostly grey hair. He smiled kindly when he noticed Sousuke. "Ah! Sousuke-kun, you're here already. Good, good. We can start on time."

Sousuke nodded, bowing quickly to Kaori's father, before taking his proffered hand and shaking it. "Thank you very much for driving me until Tokyo," he said politely. "I hope I'm not too much trouble."

"No, not at all! I'm glad I could help. Let me open the trunk so you can put your bags in." He glanced back to see Kaori about to slide into the front passenger seat and frowned lightly. "Kaori, be polite. Let Sousuke-kun sit in front," he told his daughter.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Kaori said quickly, looking a little embarrassed. Sousuke was about to tell her it was alright, but she shot him a sweet smile and slipped into the backseat. By the time Sousuke finished putting his bags in the trunk and sat in the front passenger seat, she was already buckled in the back and reading her notes intensely.

Kaori glanced up from her notebook. She could only see part of the back of Sousuke's head from where she was sitting. Biting her lip, she looked down at her notes. She had a lot to get through during the two-hour drive. She could hear her father making light small talk with Sousuke in the front.

"So, Kaori tells me that your swimming team made it to nationals," Kaori's father commented. "That's very impressive. You must have worked hard. Samezuka's an amazing school. I attended it myself, although I wasn't much of a swimmer."

Sousuke blinked. "Really? I didn't know that, sir."

"Hai. I remember your father; Yamazaki-senpai. He was my senior in high school. In fact I ran into him a few months ago on some business work. My firm was doing some accounting for him. He runs a chain of hotels, doesn't he?"

"That's correct," Sousuke replied. "It's a family business, really."

"Oh? And will you helping your father with it once you graduate?" Kaori's father asked with interest.

"I'm not sure, actually," Sousuke replied quietly. He glanced back at Kaori, who had her nose buried in her notebook and didn't seem to be paying much attention. He sighed and glanced out of the front window, watching as the trees passed by. This was going to be a long ride.

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"Wow," Kaori whispered as she watched the University come into view. It was a beautiful building; the architecture looked old and elegant, and there were already a number of students milling about near the huge front gates. Kaori's father drove the car as near as he could get, before stopping. "It's beautiful," she muttered. She could suddenly feel her heart thudding. Would she be able to do it? Could she make it into this amazing place?

Kaori's father turned and looked at her with a smile. "This is it. I'll try to be back to pick you up in a few hours. I have a few meetings though, so I might be a little bit late. Good luck, dear."

"O-okay," Kaori muttered. She could feel her hands trembling as she fumbled with the car door. To her surprise, Sousuke also began to unbuckle his seatbelt. Kaori glanced at him in surprise. "Are you getting out here too?" she asked him.

Sousuke nodded, glancing at Kaori's father. "Yes, I'll get down here. I don't want to trouble you, anymore, sir. The stadium's in the opposite direction from your office, and there's a bus which goes straight to it right here. I'll be fine. Thank you so much for your help."

Kaori's father looked a little surprised. "Well, if you're sure you don't mind. Will you be all right?"

"I will, I used to cross this route often when I lived here," Sousuke assured him, getting out of the car and moving to the trunk to grab his duffle bag. Kaori followed him quietly to the back of the car and watched him. Sousuke smiled at her lightly. "Beautiful, huh?" he asked, gesturing towards the university.

Kaori nodded. She waved goodbye to her father and he wished her luck as he drove away. Kaori glanced around nervously at all the other people near the entrance before turning to Sousuke. He was looking down at her, his blue-green eyes shining. He gently grabbed her hand as Kaori took a shaky breath. She looked at him worriedly. "Are you sure you want to take a bus? My Dad could have given you a ride-"

Sousuke chuckled. "That's okay. I actually got down with you because I wanted to wish you luck properly before you went inside." He leaned down and gave her a soft kiss. Kaori kissed him back gratefully. She could feel herself relaxing slightly as his strong arms wrapped around her and held her gently. Kaori bit her lip, sliding a hand into Sousuke's hair. "Shh. Hey, relax. You're just nervous," he whispered against her lips.

"I'm terrified," Kaori whispered.

"You'll be fine. You've been preparing for this forever." Sousuke placed a hand on her cheek and tilted her head up so she was looking at him. "Listen to me. I don't think anyone here wants this as much as you do. And I don't think any of them have worked as hard. You'll do great. And if you're still not sure…" he released her for a moment, digging into his bag. He pulled out a small gold-colored charm and held it out to her with a smile. "Here you go."

Kaori felt her stress disappear as she giggled. "You bought me a good-luck charm?"

Sousuke frowned. "Oi. Why are you laughing? I looked hard for this one. It's meant for studies, particularly to pass exams."

Kaori laughed and took the small charm, running her fingers over it before throwing her arms around Sousuke's neck. "You're so sweet! I can't believe you did this. Thank you so much!" she felt Sousuke nuzzle his face gently into her neck and kiss her hair, before pulling away. Kaori took a deep breath. "I love you."

"I love you too," he replied gently. "Now go there and do what you always do."

Kaori nodded. "Good luck at nationals. Gambatte."

Sousuke smiled as he watched Kaori slide the charm into her pocket and turn away from him. He waited until her small pink-haired head was out of sight before turning to go catch his bus. He was already late to meet the rest of the team.

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 **A/N – Thanks for reading, guys. Do leave a review, it encourages me to write.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Kaori bit her lip, shifting from one foot to the other. She was standing just inside the University gates, biting her lip. "Yeah, Sousuke-kun promised to pick me up. Yes, I'll be fine, Dad, don't worry so much. Sousuke knows Tokyo, he used to _live_ here. Yes. I'll call you once he gets here. Bye."

Kaori sighed and hung up her phone, glancing around at the huge numbers of students who were filing out of the University campus. Her father had called her just as she came out, apologetic because he'd gotten stuck in a work meeting and wasn't able to come pick her up right after her exam. Instead, he'd called Sousuke and asked him to meet Kaori outside her campus so that she wouldn't be alone. But Sousuke wasn't here yet. Kaori felt tense.

"Kaori!" Sousuke called out. He was waving his left hand in the air and Kaori's eyes widened as she hurried over to him. He was looking down at her expectantly, trying to read the expression on her face. But he couldn't tell whether she was relieved or upset. "Well? How was it?" he demanded.

Kaori flushed and glanced down. She was still clutching the question paper in her hands although it was a little crumpled now. "I… I mean, I don't know. It wasn't bad, I guess. The History questions were a little tough, but I answered all the English ones and the Legal Analysis section was almost just as I expected it to be." She glanced up and noticed Sousuke blinking down at her. Kaori let out a nervous giggle. "Sorry. This isn't swimming. You don't get your results immediately. And you can never be quite sure how you did."

Sousuke sighed and looked down at her. "You did your best, didn't you?"

Kaori nodded. "I did. I guess we'll find out in about a month whether or not my best was good enough."

"I'm sure it was." He pulled her into his side gently, and placed a kiss on her head. "Sorry I took so long to come. Your father only called me half an hour ago, and I was watching Rin's race. He was pretty amazing, got third place."

Kaori's eyes widened. "Wow! And the relay's tomorrow, right? Are you nervous?"

Sousuke bit his lip. He didn't know how to tell Kaori that he wouldn't be swimming the relay. Rin couldn't afford to rely on him and his injured shoulder, especially not at nationals. He took a deep breath. Sousuke had run out of any and all excuses to not tell Kaori about his injury. He gently put an arm around her waist. "Come on. Let's get going. We'll miss the bus back to the stadium."

Kaori nodded and allowed Sousuke to lead her out of the University campus. As they neared the bus stop, however, Kaori slowed down and took a deep breath. "Sousuke."

"Hmm?"

"Is there any reason we have to go back to the stadium? I mean, all of Samezuka's races are for today are over, right? And you're not swimming until tomorrow," Kaori pointed out slowly.

Sousuke blinked. "I guess that's true. Okay, so where do you want to go?"

Kaori smiled lightly. "Maybe we can just explore Tokyo? You can show me around?"

Sousuke paused for a moment. He felt a sudden surge of guilt and he turned to look at her. It was possibly the first and the last time they would both be in Tokyo together. But Kaori didn't know that. Or did she? Was she merely excited to see the city she might soon be living in? He looked down at her purple eyes, but he couldn't read the expression in them. Sousuke forced a smile. "What about your Dad?"

Kaori smiled. "He says that he will wrap up his meetings by 7 pm, but he never keeps his word when it comes to work. So I'll call him and tell him that I want to stay here with you until nationals are over. I'll even get to watch your race!"

Sousuke raised an eyebrow. "You'll tell your Dad that you plan to stay here with _me?_ "

Kaori flushed. "Of course not. I'll call Gou-chan and we'll tell him that I'm staying with the Iwatobi Swim Club. He'll believe it if she speaks to him too. You guys are staying in the same hotel anyway, right?"

Sousuke blinked at her and then smiled weakly. "Sure. If you think you can pull it off. So where do you want to go first?"

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"I came to this shrine a lot when I was studying in Tokitsu," Sousuke explained quietly. Kaori looked up at him and smiled, gently taking his hand. Sousuke seemed a little quieter. Kaori got the feeling that even though he'd brought her here, this place didn't hold very good memories for him. He was staring quietly at the shrine building, his hand in his pocket. "I used to come pray here almost every weekend."

"What were you praying for?" Kaori asked quietly.

Sousuke smiled down at her sadly and shook his head. "A lot of things."

"Did you pray that you would get to see me again?" Kaori teased, trying to get him to smile. To her surprise, Sousuke turned and looked at her, his blue-green eyes filled with emotion. The smile dropped from her face as she watched his eyes shine slightly.

"Every time," he said quietly. Kaori bit her lip and pressed closer into his side. She had been the one that suggested they visit one of the famous shrines, but she hadn't thought that it would upset Sousuke. Her heartbeat was thudding lightly. What had happened in Tokitsu that he felt the need to come pray at the shrine every week? Kaori blinked lightly, and was surprised when Sousuke gently tugged her arm. "Come on. Do you want to draw a fortune?"

"Okay," Kaori mumbled. She followed him over to where the _omikuji_ were; small strips of paper randomly drawn, that would contain a fortune. Sousuke drew one quickly and then gestured for Kaori to take her turn. She unrolled the strip, glancing down at it eagerly. She had never taken these fortunes too seriously, but having just written a major exam, she was a little nervous.

"Middle luck," she mused, looking down at the paper. She bit her lip as she read it out loud. "Hey, not bad! It says my studies will reflect the amount of work I put into them. And I did work pretty hard, didn't I? Let's see, what else… ooh, love! _Make the most of your time._ " Kaori blinked down at the paper and sudden, ominous feeling came over her. She moved over to the tree where people were tying their fortunes.

Sousuke frowned and followed her. "Oye. You got a good fortune. You're only supposed to tie the bad ones there," he told her.

"I don't want it," Kaori said quietly, as she swiftly tied it there. Then she took a deep breath and glanced at Sousuke. "How was yours?"

He glanced down at the slip of paper. "Mine was bad," he mumbled, reaching out to tie it beside Kaori's and then gently took her hand. "Come on. Let's go somewhere else. We might be able to make it to the gardens before they close. They're really pretty. You'd love them."

Kaori nodded and followed him quietly.

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"Wow, it's so beautiful!" Kaori cried, pressing her face to the window. It was dark outside; they'd visited the gardens first, then they'd gone shopping and had dinner at a beautiful restaurant. Yet, despite the fact that they'd been having fun, Kaori was almost relieved that they were heading back to the hotel. That heavy, ominous air had been following them since the shrine. Kaori couldn't help but feel that something terrible was awaiting her.

Sousuke chuckled. "I thought you'd like it. That's why I suggested we take the long way."

Kaori nodded. They were sitting in a train, as it went over Tokyo's Rainbow Bridge. It was beautiful; the colors really shone in the night sky and Kaori sighed as she pressed her head against the clear glass window, feeling the exhaustion overcome her. Sousuke reached for her hand. "Are you okay?" he asked her gently.

"Do you feel it too?" Kaori asked suddenly.

"Feel what?"

"This… this heavy… I don't know," she muttered. "Just this _bad_ feeling. Like something's wrong."

"What? Did you eat something bad at the restaurant?" Sousuke asked doubtfully.

Kaori turned and looked at him. His blue-green eyes were calm, but there was something in them that made her stomach turn. She'd seen it the night they'd watched the fireworks back in Iwatobi. The feeling that walls were closing in on them, or that some time-bomb was ticking. Kaori shook her head and forced a smile on her face, turning back to look at the bridge. "Nothing. Never mind. I'm fine. How many more stops? I'm exhausted."

Sousuke nodded quietly. "Just a little longer. Don't worry."

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"Kaori-senpai! Sousuke-kun!" Gou greeted them in the hotel lobby. She beamed when she saw the bags that she and Sousuke were carrying. "Wow, did you both go shopping? That's so cool! You must have had so much fun! Oh, and your Dad called again, Kaori-senpai! I told him you were taking a shower and would call him later."

Kaori flinched and pulled out her phone. She saw a couple of missed calls from her Dad. "Shit. I completely forgot to call him again. Thanks so much for covering for me, Gou-chan! I really owe you!"

Gou smiled and shot Sousuke a glance. "That's okay. It wasn't much trouble. Come on, I'll show you to our hotel room! I'm actually staying with Ama-chan sensei, so it might be a bit of a squeeze with three of us in there, but we can ask for an extra bed and…" she paused for a moment, noticing the hesitant expression on Kaori's face. "Were you not planning on staying with us?"

"Well, I mean… I just wanted my Dad to think that I was staying with you so he wouldn't worry," Kaori explained hesitantly. Although to be honest, she hadn't exactly discussed what she was _really_ planning with Sousuke.

"Oh. _Oh!"_ Gou glanced in between Sousuke and Kaori and her face flushed a little red. "Oh, I'm so sorry! Never mind! I should get going, I'll see you in the morning when we leave for the stadium!" Gou insisted, hurrying away. Sousuke watched in confusion as she left for the elevators quickly. Kaori picked up her bags and headed to the reception, asking the receptionist about available rooms.

"We do have some rooms available," the receptionist explained, glancing at Kaori. "How many people will be staying in the room? One or two?" she asked, glancing at Kaori and Sousuke.

Kaori took a deep breath. She shifted her upper body so that she was looking at Sousuke, who was looking at her with wide eyes. Kaori bit her lip and looked at him teasingly. She grabbed Sousuke's hand and squeezed it. "One or two?" Kaori asked him lightly.

Sousuke looked a little embarrassed. "W-what? I have a room, I'm sharing with Rin."

Kaori sighed and bit her lip. Did she really have to explain this to him? Didn't he realize that her heartbeat was thudding and she was even more nervous than he was? She took another deep breath and looked up at him, her purple eyes piercing into his. Maybe he would understand if she said it a little more meaningfully and slowly. "How many people, Sousuke? One or two?"

There was a long awkward silence as Sousuke gaped at her, and Kaori felt a sudden disappointment. The receptionist glanced between them awkwardly. "I'll give you a double just to be safe," she said with a small smile.

Kaori forced a smile in return and nodded. "Thank you."

Sousuke watched in silence as she filled out the formalities and then gratefully took the room keys from the receptionist. Kaori picked up her shopping bags and walked towards the elevator, following the hotel staff member who was showing her the room. Sousuke sighed and followed her. Was she angry? He couldn't tell. He quietly got into the lift behind the bellman and glanced at Kaori.

"Did you really have to put me on the spot there?" Sousuke mumbled. He noticed that Kaori's cheeks were flushed red as well. "I didn't know what to say…"

"I'm sorry," Kaori replied quietly. She was avoiding his gaze.

Sousuke shook his head and grabbed her hand. The lift doors had opened and the bellman had started walking out. He bit his lip and glanced at Kaori. There was a tight feeling in his chest. "Hey. Don't do that. Look at me, please. Kaori. Did you really want to…?"

Kaori flushed and shook her head. "Never mind. It was stupid of me. I should have remembered that you have to swim in a tournament tomorrow, so you need to get rest. You should go to your room and sleep, I'll be fine."

Sousuke frowned. "I don't want to leave you alone."

"Then stay."

He stared at her for a moment, and saw the earnest plea in her big eyes. The bellman opened the door and led them into the hotel room. Sousuke folded his arms and stood silently near the doorway, while Kaori let the bellman put her shopping bags on a table and thanked him. The man left, and she turned to glance at Sousuke. "For god's sake, you can come _in,_ I'm not going to attack you," she mumbled.

Sousuke nodded. He didn't know why he was feeling so uncomfortable and so afraid. His heartbeat was thudding. He'd been making excuses all evening because Kaori had been so happy and cheerful. But how much longer could he put off telling her the truth? He opened his mouth, but Kaori started speaking.

"Hey- can we watch a movie in our pajamas?" she asked, smiling lightly at him. "It won't stress you out before the tournament and we've never done that sort of thing before, I kind of want to! Unless you think it's stupid…" she trailed off uncertainly.

Sousuke blinked. "What? Oh, um, yeah… sure."

"Great! I'm going to take a bath. You go to your room and get your pajamas, okay?" Kaori replied. She came over and gave him a kiss on the cheek, before giving his chest a light push. "Are you okay? Why are you standing there like an idiot and staring at me? Go on." She added, her purple eyes looking at him in a concerned manner.

"Right. Okay," he mumbled, hurrying out of the hotel room. He heard her shut the door after him and stopped in the corridor, taking a deep breath. He could feel himself shaking. _Get it together. Once she comes out of the bath, you have to tell her. Tonight. Otherwise it'll be too late and she'll find out some other way._

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 **A/N – Thanks so much for reviewing and reading, guys! It means a lot! I hope you enjoyed this one.**

 **Lovelydasom- Wow, I'm so embarrassed. You're absolutely right, I messed up on the ojisan thing. I got it a little confused with another story I was writing. :P I've changed it now, though! Thanks! :D**

 **TheLunaGodess- I think I understand what you're saying about the chapters. The truth is that I tend to just keep writing in a continuous manner and then break it into chapters just before I upload. So I can see how the chapters would seem broke and incomplete. Thanks for bringing it to my notice, I will definitely work on that!**

 **Thanks for the appreciation, Kaminari and Pookie Boo!**

 **Hope you enjoyed! The next one will be up soon, expect drama!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Sousuke went down to his room to take a shower and change. It was empty; Rin had probably gone to eat or was with the Iwatobi Club. Sousuke went back about to Kaori's room about twenty minutes later, feeling more composed. He'd changed into a comfortable t-shirt and sweatpants and he sighed, ringing the doorbell to Kaori's room. He heard her shuffling around a bit before she opened the door.

"Hey! Come on in!" she greeted. Her hair was wet and she had a towel in one hands, using it to rub the damp hair to dryness. Sousuke felt his stomach clench as he looked down at what she was wearing. It was a small pink nightie; he'd seen her buy something of that color at one of the shops, but he hadn't been paying much attention back then. It fit her figure perfectly; her shoulders were bare and the hem stopped just around her mid-thigh.

"W-what are you wearing?" he blurted out. For a moment, he could only gape at her, and then he felt a sudden anger. Was she doing this on purpose? Did she have to be so beautiful and seductive on the day he was going to tell her something that might end their relationship? Kaori frowned at him and glanced down at her clothes.

"Excuse me?" she asked, sounding a little upset.

Sousuke let out a groan. Kaori was leaning forward to dry her hair and he could partially see down the neckline. His face flushed red and he turned around, facing the wall so that he didn't have to look at her. "Shit, I'm going to get a nosebleed," he mumbled. "Can't you… wear something else?"

Kaori blinked at him and frowned. He wasn't even looking at her. "I don't have anything else. I didn't come here planning to spend the night, so I only have what clothes I bought at the malls today. I tried to borrow something from Gou but her clothes don't fit me, she's slimmer." When Sousuke didn't respond, Kaori sighed. She left the towel hanging on a chair and then slid under the covers of the bed. "Here. I'm under the covers. You can turn around now."

Sousuke turned around hesitantly and sighed. Kaori's legs were under the covers, but he could still see the neckline. She was blushing and avoiding his gaze. "Can I turn down the lights?" he asked quietly. Maybe then he wouldn't look at her and get so distracted. If he had to look at that pink nightie, then there was no way he'd be able to say anything about his shoulder.

"Yeah. Okay. I'll find a good movie," Kaori mumbled. She grabbed the remote and began flipping through the options, as Sousuke found a small knob that would dim the lights. He came back to the bed and slid under the covers with her, stiffening slightly when Kaori snuggled into his side. "What about this movie?" she asked. "I've never seen it before, it seems like a sci-fi…"

Sousuke took a deep breath. He could feel the warmth of her body pressed against his side and the gentle scent of her shampoo filled his nostrils. _This is too much for me,_ he realized quietly. "Kaori."

"Hmm?"

"There's something we have to talk about."

"Eh-oh! I've been wanting to watch this one for a long time! This girl at cram school told me about it! It's supposed to be this psychological thriller sort of thing, but it's a bit of fantasy too, basically there're… but I shouldn't spoil it for you. Should we watch it?" Kaori asked eagerly. Her head tilted up to face his and her big purple eyes looked up at him. She blinked when Sousuke was silent. "What? Oh- sorry, were you saying something?"

"Nothing," he mumbled. He took a deep breath and rested his head on top of hers, pressing his cheek to her damp hair. "Just start the movie."

The movie played, but Sousuke couldn't pay attention. His heartbeat was thudding and he wondered if Kaori could hear it. The actors moved their mouths, but he couldn't hear the words. He sat there for a long time, feeling nothing but the weight of Kaori's head on his shoulder. After a while, Kaori glanced up at him and saw that his eyes were closed. She sighed and paused it. "Hey," she whispered. Sousuke snapped his eyes open to look at her in surprise. "Did you fall asleep?"

"No, I'm awake," he said quietly.

"I'm sorry. You must be really tired and you have to swim tomorrow," she apologized sheepishly. "You don't have to watch this with me, you can go to sleep if you want-"

"It's fine, I'm not tired."

"Sousuke-"

" _I'm fine_ ," he reassured her gently. He placed a hand on her cheek and leaned down, pressing a gentle kiss to her lips. Kaori hesitated for a moment, before wrapping her own arms around his neck. She pulled him down and deepened the kiss. Their bodies were flush against each other and in one fluid moment, Sousuke pulled Kaori onto his lap. She gasped when she felt his hardness against her. It made Kaori's heartbeat race and she kissed him harder, fisting her hands into his hair and pressing her body against his.

Sousuke could feel his mind go blank. Kaori was in his arms, wearing that revealing pink nightie and kissing him desperately. His breath constricted and he wrapped his arms around her, enjoying the feel of the soft cloth and the occasional bare skin under his fingers. Her chest was pressing against his and she kissed him harder, her thigh brushing his hardness. "Excited, huh?" Kaori mumbled against his lips. Her cheeks were flushed, but her purple eyes were shining. Her hands ran smoothly down his chest, sliding under his shirt to feel his torso.

"Kaori-" Sousuke's voice was broken. Kaori was kissing his jawline and his neck, moving steadily lower. He couldn't breathe. His body refused to move, except in order to pull her closer. The feeling of her soft lips was driving him crazy. "Kaori-no-stop."

Kaori giggled. "Are you sure?" she teased, her breath hot on his neck. Her leg brushed his erection against and Sousuke stiffened, before forcing him to reach out and grab her shoulders, gently pushing him away. His mind was screaming at him. The sight of the usually shy, innocent Kaori being so seductive was right in front of him, but the crushing guilt had also appeared. _You can't do this to her. She's acting this way because she doesn't know._

"Kaori- Kaori, I'm sure," he said, gently pushing her away as she tried to kiss him again. "We need to talk about something first."

Kaori froze. Her purple eyes were inches away from his and a brief expression of horror passed across them. Sousuke wasn't even sure that he'd seen it when she lunged forward and kissed him again. Her hands clutched at his shirt desperately. "Not now," she whispered. "We'll talk some other time."

"Kaori…" Sousuke whispered in surprise. He forced himself to gently push her away again. "Kaori, no. Now."

Kaori leaned away. There was a short moment when she just stared at him, and then she hurriedly scrambled off his lap. Her cheeks were flushed. "Okay, sorry. I'm just going to the bathroom, I'll be back in a few-"

"Kaori-"

"I don't want to hear it!" she burst out angrily. She was attempting to scramble off the bed and Sousuke released her in shock. There was a long silence as her words echoed around the room. Kaori had turned her back to him and she was sitting on the edge of the bed. He could only see her shaking shoulders and back, encased in that pink nightie. Her voice was quieter and cracked when she spoke again. "I don't want to hear it."

Sousuke closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "But I have to say it-"

"No, you don't. It's fine, nothing's wrong, let's just pretend-"

" _Kaori._ "

She fell silent.

She pulled her knees up to her chest and shivered. Her breathing was ragged and she wrapped her arms around herself. When she spoke, her voice was cool and clear. It sent a chill down Sousuke's spine. "You're not going to college in Tokyo with me."

 _She knows. S_ ousuke felt his heart skip a beat. "Who told-"

"I might be a little naïve, Sousuke, but I'm not at idiot," Kaori snapped. Her voice was cold and distant, nothing like the gentle way she had been cooing his name while she kissed him just a few seconds ago.

Sousuke swallowed. He had prepared an entire speech, but he hadn't been prepared for this. The words fumbled out of his mouth. "I didn't get scouted. I lied to you. I'm not going to any University."

He could hear Kaori taking a deep breath.

"Why?" she asked quietly.

"I overworked myself when I was at Tokitsu and I injured my shoulder. It's permanently damaged. My swimming career is over. That's why I left Tokyo and came back to Iwatobi in the first place." Sousuke took a deep shaky breath. He wished that she would look at him. It was painful, speaking to her back. "I'm so sorry."

"You're sorry? _You're sorry?"_ Kaori asked, almost hysterically. She turned around to look at him and Sousuke saw her red eyes flash. She was trembling. "You mean that every time I mentioned Tokyo, you _knew_ that there was no hope of a future. You've known all year. And you led me to believe that nothing was wrong? I was dreaming of a future that had no chance of coming! Did you ever think, for half a moment, that maybe you should cut short my ramblings about all the things we were going to do in Tokyo and _tell me that it wasn't going to fucking happen?"_

Sousuke closed his eyes. "Your exam. I didn't want-"

"I know! I know what you thought!" Kaori yelled. She scrambled off the bed and stared at him accusingly. "You didn't think I was emotionally stable enough to take it! You thought ' _this stupid girl is going to screw up her exam if I tell her'._ You thought I would ruin the exam or I would decide that I didn't want to go to Tokyo."

Sousuke frowned. His own hands were trembling. "Wouldn't you have? You admitted it to me yourself; after the day I broke up with you, you wondered why you were even studying! Are you telling me that there's _no c_ hance you would have given up your exam if you had known!"

"Of course I might have given it up! But that would have been my choice to make! You had no right to make that decision for me!" Kaori cried furiously. Her hands grabbed for a pillow and she threw it at him roughly. Sousuke flinched. "I hate you. Get out."

He froze for a moment. "What?"

Kaori was shaking and her breathing was ragged. She was glaring at him with red eyes. "You heard me. I don't even want to look at you right now. J-just get out."

Sousuke was still for a long moment. He pushed aside the pillow that had landed on his chest and scrambled off the bed, heading towards the door. He opened it and paused, glancing back at Kaori. She was standing still near the bed, her arms wrapped around herself and her shoulders trembled. "Kaori, I love you. Whatever I did, I did because of that."

Kaori shook her head. "Just go," she choked out, holding back a sob.

She heard the door click quietly behind him.

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"Hey. Where have you been all evening? I didn't even see you after my race," Rin commented lightly when he opened the door to the hotel room and saw Sousuke standing on the other side. It was late at night, and Sousuke stared at him blankly, before pushing past him and entering the room. Rin frowned. "How rude… oye! I'm talking to you!"

Sousuke sat on the edge of his bed, his back to Rin. "I don't want to talk," he replied, his voice strained.

Rin paused for a moment. Clearly something was wrong. He didn't know if he should say something. Rin stared at Sousuke for a moment and wondered what could have shaken him up so badly. Where had he been all evening? Hadn't Sousuke said something about going to pick up Kaori after her exam? "It's Kaori, isn't it?" Rin asked quietly. "Did you tell her about your shoulder?"

Sousuke turned his head slightly. His blue-green eyes were hard. "She kicked me out. I don't blame her, but she wasn't herself. She shouldn't be alone right now. Will you go check on her? She'll only get more upset if I go."

Rin's eyes widened. Check on a sobbing and distressed girl? He wasn't sure if he could handle something like that, even if it was for Sousuke. More than likely Rin would end up crying himself. "I'll go get Gou," Rin replied, quickly hurrying out of the hotel room to find his sister. Sousuke let out a deep breath as Rin left him alone and buried his face in his hands.

Had he made a huge mistake?

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	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

"So, um… how are things in there?" Rin asked doubtfully. He was standing at the end of the corridor and Gou had just quietly exited Kaori's room. He waited as his sister approached him, looking a little frazzled. "What? Is she okay? Sousuke's really worried."

Gou hesitated and bit her lip. "It's pretty bad."

"Define bad."

"Well, it looks like she got a little hysterical. The bedside lamp's shattered; I think she threw it against the wall. Now she's just curled up in a corner and sniffling. She won't say anything to me. I really didn't know what to do. It's not like I can push her to talk. Technically, it's none of my business."

Rin rubbed the back of his neck as they both walked towards the elevators. "I guess we should go tell Sousuke. Hey. Do you think it was wrong of him to hide it from her for so long? I was horrified when I found out he'd been lying, too. I mean- things wouldn't have gotten this bad if he'd told her sooner, right?"

Gou blinked and frowned. "Probably not. If I was her, I definitely would have wanted to know."

"But I can understand why he did it."

"You can?" Gou asked quietly.

Rin nodded, as he pressed the button on the elevator. The doors slid shut in front of them. "It might have caused her to give up on her dream. And no matter what, you don't ever want to be responsible for destroying somebody else's dream."

Gou shook her head. "Maybe he was part of the dream."

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Kaori was curled up on the edge of the bed. Her right thumb was bleeding, and she sucked on it gently as she held in quiet sobs. A few moments after Sousuke had left, Kaori had felt so furious that she'd grabbed the table lamp and flung it across the room. The action had cleared her head a little; now that bubbling anger and frustration was gone, replaced with a deep, calmer sense of despair.

 _I knew this was going to happen._ She'd been worried about it for so long and now that she looked back and connected the pieces, she wondered how she had never realized it before. How Sousuke was so different. The clues. Avoiding talking about Tokyo. The shoulder brace in his bathroom. How he would insist on her studying, but he would also get upset when she overworked herself. _He didn't want the same thing to happen to me._

 _A_ nd then it struck her. For the first time since she had found out the truth, Kaori was able to clear her mind and think about something besides the fact that he'd lied to her. Sousuke's dream was shattered. He'd never wanted to do anything but swim. And now he couldn't do that, simply because he'd been trying too hard. Kaori imagined everything that Sousuke must have gone through. _The pain. The fear. Pushing himself, denying it. Finding out that he couldn't swim anymore._ Her own problems suddenly felt so small and insignificant. _His entire life came crashing down around him, and I'm being a baby about a few white lies._

The door opened. Kaori was still for a moment as she heard footsteps. She thought that Gou had already left. The girl had tried to talk to her, but Kaori hadn't wanted to say anything to her. Her head was hurting too much. She blinked and opened her eyes, and saw Sousuke sanding awkwardly near the bed.

"Sousuke?" she asked hoarsely.

He nodded. His own eyes were slightly red, and his shoulders slumped. He looked miserable. Kaori's heart wrenched. _Did I do this to him? Is he this upset because I kicked him out? How could I do that? He's going through so much already!_ "Hey," he said quietly. "Look, I'm sorry. I'll leave again if you want me to. But Gou-chan said you weren't speaking and I just had to check if you were okay."

Kaori stared up at him, sniffing. She nodded. "Y-yeah."

"Okay," Sousuke looked a little relieved. He glanced to the side and noticed the shattered lamp near the opposite wall, but kept silent about it. "Okay. I'm sorry. I'm going-"

"Wait. Don't leave." Kaori's voice was quiet and raspy as she uncurled herself and slowly stepped off the bed. Her body felt numb and she was a little unsteady on her feet. She used her uninjured hand to wipe away a few tears that were stuck on her eyelashes. Sousuke froze and watched as she approached him. "C-can I see it?"

Sousuke blinked. "What? See what?"

"Your shoulder. Can I see it? Is the injury visible?" she asked hesitantly.

"I guess; a little." Sousuke blinked for a moment, before reaching down and awkwardly lifting his shirt over his head. It had gotten much worse after he'd forced himself to swim at regionals. There was a dark reddish-brown bruise and Kaori let out a soft gasp as soon as it came into view. Sousuke looked down at Kaori. She didn't seem angry anymore. Her purple eyes had softened and tears pooled in them as she looked at his beat-up shoulder. One hand came up to cover her mouth as she let out a soft sob. "Oh-Sousuke…" She looked up at him, torn. "Does… does it hurt?"

Sousuke paused. He wanted to say no. He wanted to lie and tell her that it was all right. But something in her earnest expression wouldn't let him lie. He could be honest with Kaori now. He could show his pain. Sousuke bit his lip and turned his blue-green eyes away from her before giving her a small nod. _Yes. It hurts. A lot._

Kaori's breath hitched and she let out another sob, before rushing forward and throwing her arms around him. She was careful to stay on his left side, avoiding the injury and pressing her face to his left shoulder. Sousuke was shocked as he felt her soft skin and wet tears against him. "Kaori…" he said softly, as the girl sobbed against his chest and clutched his torso. "Kaori… hey. It's okay. Don't cry."

She shook her head against his chest. "D-don't comfort me."

"What? Why-"

"I'm not the one who needs to be comforted," Kaori choked out. She loosened her grip on him and looked up. "Y-you listen to every single stupid problem that I ever have, but… but you were going through something so huge and I wasn't there for you. Y-you were alone. You must have felt… so alone."

Sousuke froze. She was right. There were days when he would just stay in the shower and clutch his shoulder as he slid down against the wall, wishing the pain would go away. He had felt alone. He had felt crushed and suffocated, because there was no one to take away the pain. No Rin, no Kaori. Sousuke could feel his own eyes itch, as Kaori slid a hand up to his face. "It-it's okay. I was fine," he said softly.

"I always knew you were strong," Kaori said quietly. Tears were streaming down her face. "I just… I never realized how strong you were. Every-every lie that you told must have broken you inside. And the thought of you, all alone at Tokitsu, scared and in pain, I…" Kaori choked out another sob. "Just the thought of it is so unbearable, I don't know how you went through it by yourself…"

Sousuke closed his eyes and let out a dry chuckle. "That's just because your imagination is too wild for your own good."

Kaori looked up at him, gently sliding her hand across his cheek and into his dark hair. He was looking down at her. Even now, Sousuke was trying to blink back his tears and pretend like he was fine. He took a deep breath and looked down at her quietly. "I'm sorry I lied. I never wanted to hurt you," he added quietly.

Kaori shook her head quietly. "Most people lie because it's the easier way out. But lying to me must have been so much harder than telling the truth. I'm sorry I overreacted and got mad."

Sousuke chuckled and brought his left arm around to press Kaori to his chest. "It's okay. Even in your anger, all you did was throw a pillow at me. I'll survive."

Kaori blinked up at him, suddenly seeming to wake up. She glanced towards the other side of the wall and looked ashamed. "I-I broke the lamp too. I'm so sorry. I don't know what got into me, I just lost it and I grabbed whatever was closest, I… I'll pay for it."

"It's okay, Kaori. It's just a lamp." He glanced down and noticed a small streak of blood smudged across her cheek. "Hey- where did that come from? Are you bleeding? Let me see." He grabbed her thumb and noticed the gash across the top of it. "You idiot. You tried to pick up the broken glass, didn't you?"

"Sorry," Kaori mumbled. Her lips had stuck out in a small pout, and Sousuke leaned down and pecked them softly, before gently pushing her to sit on the edge of the bed. She sniffled a little and sat, as Sousuke hurried into the bathroom. He had seen a first aid kit in there somewhere, and he came back with the white box, placing it on the bed.

"You should be more careful," Sousuke said gently, as he kneeled on the floor and placed Kaori's hand in her lap, pulling out some cotton and antiseptic to clean the small wound. He paused for a moment and sighed. "I guess it's a little silly for me to be saying that. You didn't bust your own shoulder."

"You always did try too hard," Kaori said gently. "Sousuke, it's just a cut. Stop overreacting."

Sousuke sighed and shook his head as he gently wrapped a band-aid around her thumb. "I don't make the same mistakes twice." He looked up at her and kept her injured hand in his own, holding it. His deep eyes were staring at her earnestly. "I have one thing left to apologize for," he said quietly.

"What's that?"

"Ruining your dream. I know how much both of us studying in Tokyo meant to you. We've been dreaming about it since middle school. You must have had everything meticulously planned out and ready for when we would both be together. And I ruined it all just because I didn't know how far I could push myself. So, I'm sorry that I destroyed your dream, Kaori. I know I can never make up for that."

There was a gentle smack and Sousuke blinked in surprise a he felt a light sting on his cheek. Had she just slapped him? It wasn't very hard, and yet… he looked up from his crouched position to see Kaori's eyes had welled up with tears again. He was shocked. "Kaori…"

"You idiot!" Kaori grabbed and pulled Sousuke closer so that his head was pressed against her chest. She wrapped her arms around her head and rested her cheek on his dark hair. "Don't say things like that! I love you so much and when you say things like that, it only makes me love you more, my heart can't take it! I'm not as strong as you, you know!"

Sousuke was surprised, but her let her hold him against her soft body. She was warm and trembling "Sorry."

"No, you- you have to make it up to me," Kaori sniffled.

"Okay."

"You can't- you can't be this strong and self-sacrificing. It's making me feel too inferior. I'm starting to feel like I don't deserve you. So you have to stop being putting up such a strong front, okay? Otherwise I'll just keep feeling inferior and you don't want that."

Sousuke smiled. "Okay," he replied gently.

"And you-you can't keep hiding things. You have to start showing me how you really feel so that I can see how weak you are and feel better about myself."

"I will."

"And you have to start relying on me more so that I don't feel bad about relying on you so much."

"All right."

"And you have to love me."

"I already do." Sousuke leaned up and kissed her gently, sliding his hands into her soft hair. He could feel the wet tears from her eyelashes brush across his face. Kaori returned the kiss eagerly. She could feel him relax against her. There was something different about the kiss; there was nothing holding either of them back, no more hiding or suspicions. Kaori looked down at Sousuke and for the first time, she felt like she was seeing all of him. He gently pulled away and pressed a hand to her cheek. "Are those all the conditions, my lady?" he teased her gently.

Kaori frowned. "Shut up. Apparently you never think about yourself anymore, you only do things for other people. So do them for _me_ , you big idiot, if not for yourself."

Sousuke nodded.

"I promise."

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Rin and Gou Matsuoka were standing near the door, which Sousuke had left slightly open. Rin was silent, his face stiff while Gou looked a little teary-eyed.

"I can't believe they made up!" Gou whispered happily. She turned and glanced at her brother. "Isn't it great? They're so amazing together!"

Rin frowned. "Yeah. Come on, let's stop eavesdropping."

"What's your problem?"

"Nothing," Rin said with a sigh, pulling his sister away from the door and leaving Sousuke and Kaori alone. "It's none of our business, that's all."

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End file.
